Corcoran officials are advising residents to buy flood insurance as early as possible to protect them from the potential damage that may ensue from snow melt at the nearby Tulare Lake.
Local officials have been alert to potential flooding that may result from snow melt which is expected to flow through the Kaweah, Kings and Tule rivers and converge at the lowest point in the San Joaquin Valley.
A February survey also revealed that the California city had sunk two feet in two years due to land subsidence.
The
Sacramento Bee reported that to cope, the local flood district undertook an expansion of the levee protecting the city by raising the levee by four feet. When finished, the 14 mile long levee will be 15 feet tall and 20 feet wide. It is expected to finish in May.
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Apart from the city residents, local officials are concerned about two prison facilities that are at risk from flooding as well.
Corcoran’s 23,000 residents have been advised to buy flood insurance because it takes some time for the policy to take full effect, while contingency plans have been made to ensure the safety of the 9,000 inmates in a correctional facility and a substance abuse treatment institution in the city.
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