Live storm updates: Merced Sheriff OKs Planada residents return home, more rain on the way

Sheriff downgrades Planada evacuation order

5 a.m. Thursday

Around 1 a.m. Thursday, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office downgraded Planada’s mandatory evacuation status to an evacuation warning. That mean residents who were under mandatory orders to leave earlier this week can now return back to their residences.

Sheriff’s officials are advising those Planada residents who return home to not drink the tap water, as it may be contaminated.

“A boil notice is in effect. Drink bottled water only until further notice. If you live on a property with a residential well, boiling water will not completely disinfect the water to safe drinking levels,” the Sheriff’s Office post on Facebook says.

Meanwhile, with more rain on the way, city workers, volunteers and residents alike are working rapidly to prepare for more potential flooding, Case in point, City of Merced workers were seen at Bear Creek on Wednesday, stacking sand bags along its banks.

Merced County residents will get a much-needed respite from the rain Thursday, as the the National Weather Service expects the day will be dry.

Carlos Molina, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford, said light rain is expected in Merced County by Friday morning. The intensity of the rain will increase throughout the day Friday, and a stronger storm is expected to hit Merced County on Saturday.

Merced County could see up to a half-inch of rain through Saturday, with lingering showers into Sunday. Light rain is expected next week.

So far, Merced has reported 4.60 inches of rain for January, well above the average of 3.75 inches. Merced County has seen 2.95 inches of rain since the storm started in the past week.

Bear Creek has receded to a depth of 19 feet as of Thursday morning, which is still considered critical by the weather service, but far below the 26 feet it had risen to earlier this week. Twenty-three feet is considered flood stage for the creek.

For information for how to donate items or volunteer, visit cityofmerced.org.

Merced County Flood Hotline: (209) 385-7563

Le Grand school district raising donations for those in need

Thursday 6 a.m.

Le Grand Union High School is stepping up to help those in need. The school is accepting donations of supplies to help support families who have been severely impacted, according to a Merced County Office of Education news release.

Supplies can include: toiletries and personal necessities, blankets and bedding, portable chargers and heaters, clothing, shoes and socks, diapers and baby wipes, bottled water and food (non-perishables), and gift cards for gas.

Beginning Thursday, Jan. 12, donations can be dropped off Monday through Friday from 9 am - 2 pm at Le Grand Agriculture Department.

Those in need can pick up items at Le Grand High School Gymnasium from 10 am - 3 pm, Monday through Friday, starting Friday, Jan. 13.

If those in need are unable to reach Le Grand High School, contact the school office staff at (209) 389-9400 or contact student advocates Daniel at (209) 756-6330 or Jackie at (209) 670-5132.

Some residents using boats to navigate flooding

11:46 a.m. Wednesday

Some residents like Michael Harrington, who lives off Willowbrook Drive near Highway 59 in Merced, are using boats to get around the flooded area.

Harringston, a 68-year-old disabled Vietnam War veteran, paddled a short distance in a one-man kayak to get over to Walmart in Merced.

“To me it’s kind of simple, because I am an old vet, so I have been doing this stuff all of my life,” Harrington said. “It doesn’t bother me, it’s just cold. But I can imagine people who are worse off than I am having a hard time.”

“It’s an inconvenience but you have to live with it. What can you do?” he added.

Officials working on Miles Creek in Planada

12:00 p.m. Wednesday

There were 232 people at the evacuation center at the Merced County Fairgrounds as of Wednesday morning, according to Merced County spokesperson Mike North.

Some of those folks are from Planada, where Miles Creek breached its banks.

Miles Creek, which originates in Mariposa County, flows west through Merced County, past Planada, before terminating downstream from Highway 99 at its junction with Owens Creek near Roduner Dam.

The flooding prompted the Merced County Sheriff’s Office to issue an evacuation order for the entire community of Planada.

“A lot of people have been impacted in a significant way and we’re doing what we can to support them how we can,” North said.

“Some people have been coming and going as they find that they can stay with family or friends. We’ve had a large influx of people after the incidents in Planada and Merced.”

“There is still another storm system coming in. Right now we’re working on a plan to repopulate Planada. We’re working to fortify Miles Creek in Planada and we’re working with PGE and CSD (Community Service and Development) to return people to Planada.”

North said there is not a timeline yet to repopulate Planada, saying its in the planning stages.

North said supplies are in good shape at the fairgrounds evacuation center. Concerned residents can donate through the United Way.

Bear Creek starts to recede

7 a.m. Wednesday

A day after flooding over, the waters of Merced’s Bear Creek have receded to just over 20 feet as of Wednesday morning, National Weather Service forecasters say. That level is expected to continue decreasing over the duration of Wednesday.

The creek’s waters went beyond its banks early Tuesday morning after heavy rains, reaching a depth of 26 feet, which is 3 feet above flood stage.

Wednesday’s news comes a day after rains from heavy rainstorms pounded Merced County, causing massive flooding in many areas, particularly in the city of Merced and the community of Planada.

Merced is expected to see showers Wednesday, though it’s expected to be less than a tenth of an inch of rain. A larger storm system is expected to move into the region by Friday, with the bulk of rain expected Saturday. Brian Ochs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Hanford Office, said Merced is expected to see a quarter inch of rain Friday and three quarter inches of rain Saturday.

Och said Merced has seen 2.2 inches of rain since Jan. 9 and 4.56 inches for the month of January.

Many road closures in effect in Merced County due to flooding. Although the City of Merced did lift some evacuation orders late Tuesday, orders remain in effect in other parts of the city and in Planada.

Schools to reopen

Merced County Office of Education officials said classes in all school districts were scheduled to resume Wednesday, with the exception of McSwain Union Elementary School District, Planada Elementary School District and Le Grand High School District. Parents who have questions can visit mcoe.org/schools

Meanwhile, the Merced County Sheriff’s Office posted on social media that while the waters have started to recede in Planada, residents are still ordered to stay out of flooded areas.

Some evacuations lifted in Merced

8 p.m. Tuesday

Merced city officials have lifted evacuation orders for several streets and neighborhoods. According to a post on the city’s Facebook page, residents are asked to proceed with caution, obey all traffic signs, detours, and roadblocks and stay off flooded roadways. Click here for a full list of areas where evacuations have been lifted.

Remaining Planada residents without power

8 p.m Tuesday

Many Planada residents evacuated the town Tuesday morning due to extreme flooding. Those who remain are without power, according to posts by residents on social media. According to PG&E, between 500 and 4,999 residents are currently without power.

Alicia Rodriguez, an active member of the Planada community, estimates that residents of at least 100 homes there remain. Rodriguez said she and others are among those residents who were not mandated to evacuate.

Rodriguez said she’s very concerned about residents being left without fresh food, due to lack of electricity and refrigeration. She also said there have been reports of looting.

“I hope people understand there (is) still another half of (the) population of people in Planada. And they are in fear, and they are in need of necessities,” Rodriguez said in the post.

“I know that we have a shelter in place in Merced. But what I would like for us to see, is for us to get some help here on the home front. And I mean some food deliveries, places where people can get some canned goods, to get through these terrible times we’re going through,” she added.

“Food is going to be a problem here. We need to get these families fed and these seniors taken care of.”

Major flooding reported on Highway 59 in Merced

2 p.m. Tuesday

Major flooding has been reported on Highway 59, between 16th streets and Olive Avenue.

Bakersfield Fire Department, who has responded to provide aid to local officials, has deployed a raft, and public safety personnel are going to apartments in the area to assist with evacuating residents.

Multiple vehicles are submerged in the water.

Luz Almanza, 25, was among those evacuated Tuesday afternoon from apartments off of Willowbrook Drive in Merced. A UC Merced graduate, Almanza said most of the car in her neighborhood were completely submerged during the day Tuesday.

She and others decided to leave after seeing first responders arrive in rafts. “We decided to go because next time there is going to be more rain and it’s probably going to get worse,” Almanza said.

Almanza, who lives on the second floor of her complex, initially thought she would be able to stay, but decided to leave after seeing other residents pick up and go.”We saw people leaving and we just gathered what we could fit in a backpack, and that’s just what we took.”

Flood hotline established to help residents

3 p.m. Tuesday

Merced County Emergency Operations Center has established a flood hotline to assist residents impacted by the current storm system. The number to the hotline is (209) 385-7563.

Bear Creek floods

6 a.m. Tuesday

After being pounded by a relentless rains, Merced’s Bear Creek has flooded beyond its banks, prompting local officials to issue mandatory evacuations for several areas near the city’s urban core.

Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office says it’s ordered a mandatory evacuation for the entire town of Planada.

Bear Creek’s flood stage is 23 feet, but as of Tuesday morning the National Weather Service said it has risen to 26 feet, flooding local streets and worrying local residents. The area of the creek from M Street to just past G Street is under mandatory evacuation.

Weather service officials say Merced has seen a total of 2.32 inches of rain since Friday, and 4.41 inches for the month of January.

More rain is expected to fall today, at least three quarters of an inch.

The rain is expected to continue through midday Wednesday. The area should get a reprieve from the wet weather Thursday, but more is expected Friday, with another storm system hitting the region, according to Carlos Molina, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hanford.

Mike Bik, 78, who lives on West 28th Street in Merced near Bear Creek, said it’s not the first time he’s seen the water get dangerously close to his home. “I’m going to say probably maybe five to seven years ago was the last time I saw it this high — it’s a little scary but you get used to it,” Bik said.

“The creek is nice to live next to, (of) course not when it’s this high,” said Bik. “It’s a nice place to be, walk the dogs up here every day so it’s a nice area to live.”

Planada residents flee at moment’s notice

10 a.m. Tuesday

Many of the residents who arrived early Tuesday morning after being evacuated from Planada described a tense situation there.

Residents like Esela Torrez, 24, say the situation there was dire. She was evacuated from her home at 3 a.m. along with her brother, mother and three dogs.

“We heard neighbors screaming, telling everyone to leave their homes. Water was coming in our house. All we took were our three dogs, three blankets and a pair of clothes,” said Torrez, who has lived in Planada for 12 years.

“It was scary. We live blocks away from where the canal erupted. I never thought our street would be that bad. The water was going down our street with a current, you could see waves. There trash cans going through the street,” she added.

“Who knows what we lost or what we’ll get back. As long as we made it out of there, that’s the good thing.”

John Ceccoli, Merced County Human Services Agency deputy director, said the fairgrounds started to see an influx of residents at the fairgrounds evacuation center just after midnight Tuesday.

Ceccoli said local officials were hosting around 200 people at the fairgrounds as of Tuesday morning, providing basic necessities and a place to rest. “We have the ability to expand as needed,” Ceccoli said.

Local residents who are interested in providing help or donations to those affected by the flooding can call the United Way (209) 383-4242 or email Janet Kasper at jkasper@unitedway.org, according to Ceccoli.

Mandatory evacuation orders issued in Merced

6 a.m. Tuesday

An evacuation center for those impacted by the flooding has been set up at the Merced County Fairgrounds, 900 Martin Luther King Drive.

Early Tuesday morning, Merced city officials issued mandatory evacuation orders for several streets near the creek, telling residents to gather pets and leave immediately.

Several other areas near the creek were issued evacuation warnings, although mandatory areas were not yet in effect.

Resources for residents

6 a.m. Tuesday

A list of sandbag locations in the city is included here. Here is a map of evacuation areas and road closures.

The sheriff’s office around 6:30 a.m. Tuesday ordered an evacuation for the entire Merced County town of Planada, which has a population of around 4,000 people. “If you’re in Planada and able to get to the Dollar General store, we will have buses ready to take you to a shelter. Please use extreme caution,” a post on the department’s Facebook page read.

Due to the severe flooding, all classes in Merced City School District and Merced Union High School District have been canceled.

According to Merced County Office of Education, additional districts announcing cancellations Tuesday included El Nido Elementary School District, Ballico-Cressey School District, Le Grand High School, McSwain Union Elementary School District, Merced County Office of Education, Merced City School District, Merced Union High School District, Merced River School District, Planada Elementary School District and Weaver Union School District.

This story will be updated.

County residents can pick up sand bags:

Ballico Fire Station, 11284 Ballico Ave. (209) 634-1022

Cressey Fire Station, 9255 Cressey Way (209) 394-8211

Delhi Fire Station, 16056 Acacia St. (209) 634-5007

Dos Palos Y Fire Station, 8047 W. Dairy Lane (209) 387-4223

El Nido Fire Station, 10537 S. Hwy 59 (209) 722-8452

McKee Fire Station. 3360 N. McKee Rd. (209) 723-4510

McSwain Fire Station, 961 Gurr Rd and Hwy 140 (209) 384-7027

Merced County Public Works, 2165 W. Wardrobe Ave .(Thornton Road entrance) (209) 385-7601 (209) 385-5810 after hours

Planada Fire Station, 9234 E. Broadway (209) 382-0502

Santa Nella Fire Station, 29190 Centinella Rd. (209) 826-6339

Snelling Fire Station, 15974 Lewis St. (209) 563-6661

Stevinson Fire Station, 2738 Lander Ave. (209) 634-7086

Merced sand locations

Buena Vista and Sarasota

Parsons Ave and Brookdale Drive

Parsons Ave and Oregon Drive

West North Bear Creek and Shadow Brook Drive

Cheney Drive and Buckner Road

West side of Mansionette

Campus Drive and Line Drive

W. 24th and K Street

Additional sandbag information and locations

City of Atwater, First St & Atwater Blvd (209) 777-0273

City of Dos Palos, 1817 General Ave. (209) 392-2176

City of Gustine, 440 4th Street (Gustine Corp Yard) (209) 854-6183

City of Livingston, Corner of Dwight Way & Walnut Avenue (Max Foster Sports Complex) (209) 394-8044

City of Los Banos, 1015 F St. (209) 827-7044

City of Merced Call For locations (209) 385-6891 or visit www.cityofmerced.org

This story will be updated.