Yuba County residents prepare for incoming heavy rain
MARYSVILLE — Storms are on the way with rain in the Sacramento Valley and snow in the Sierra Nevada.
The Marysville area is expected to get hit with quite a bit of rain. The county says its biggest concern is roadway flash flooding.
Sandbags are just one way that residents can prepare for the incoming rain. There is free sand located at 4667 Skyway Drive.
"I'll tell you what, if I don't sandbag, I'll have to move the freezer, the washer, the dryer, everything off my back porch," said Marysville resident Robert Kuntz.
Kuntz is preparing for the incoming rain. He says he has experience with past floods.
"A nightmare. Like, I had to start all over again. I've been in two floods," he said.
Yuba County is prone to localized flooding, especially in the Olivehurst and Linda areas. The county says there are projects underway right now to mitigate that risk of flooding, but they won't be finished for some time.
"We are expecting heavy rains and higher wind gusts, so it is expected that some stuff will make it to the ground and into our storm drain systems," said Yuba County spokesperson Rachel Abbott.
The county Office of Emergency Services (OES), public works and other agencies were at a training session on Tuesday for storm prep.
"That includes packing sandbags. This afternoon, they'll be practicing filling and placing sandbags along the levee systems," Abbott said. "It's good practice. We do it every year and this was the perfect day to do it ahead of the rain."
"The good thing is this is our first major storm in the county of Yuba, so for our area, the reservoir that really incorporates our river system can maintain the water that's coming in," said Oscar Marin, the emergency operations manager with the county OES.
Public works will be patrolling before and during the storm to make sure drains are clear and to take care of any hazards in the road.
The county says they aren't opening up any shelters for the storm but urge people to stay up to date on the Yuba County OES Facebook page.
