This winter, the U.S. state of California received unusually large amounts of rain and snow. Now, people worry that some areas will flood as the snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains melts. Ron Caetano lives about half-way between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. He is preparing to leave in case his community, called the Island District, floods. “The water is coming this way,” said Caetano, who started a Facebook group to help organize his neighbors. “I am preparing for the worst and praying for the best and that’s all we can do.” More than 100 years ago, the Island District area was under a large lake named Tulare Lake. At one time, Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. But dams and watering systems for agriculture caused it to disappear. However, in very rainy years, farmland can still get covered with water. Experts say reservoirs near the area will likely receive three times more water than they can hold this year. That means officials must increase the amount of water they release from the reservoirs. If too much water is released, the area might flood. The Island District has organized a community network to help prepare for floods. People are placing sandbags on elderly neighbors’ property to block possible flooding. And they are looking at reports from water officials, county officials, and from each other.
