PRESS RELEASE
City of Porterville
291 N. Main Street
Porterville, CA 93257
www.ci.porterville.ca.us/newslist.php
For more information contact:
Yuriko Velarde, Administrative Analyst
yvelarde@ci.porterville.ca.us
April 6, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE CITY OF PORTERVILLE’S DECLARATION OF LOCAL EMERGENCY WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT
Over the last several weeks, the City of Porterville has been actively engaged in “flood fight” in the protection and reinforcement of structures along the Tule River for flood and damage prevention resulting from the March storms. With the Declaration of Local Emergency approved on March 13, 2023, the City activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staffed with personnel from each City department, working 24/7 to coordinate and support efforts primarily between Fire, Police and Public Works. The City partnered with several agencies, including the County of Tulare, Cal OES and Cal Fire Tulare Unit in a unified command for the incident. Working alongside these agencies has helped streamline communication, increase efficiency, and facilitate resource allocation to best assist, protect and support the community.
Throughout this incident, City staff has been innovative and resourceful in the successful prevention of hundreds of homes from being flooded. The City would like to highlight and express its appreciation to the dedicated Public Works Department staff for working tirelessly over the past several weeks to preserve life and property. The staff has been working day and night to monitor and maintain the waterways and working alongside the City’s Public Safety personnel to keep local residents and property safe. While the efforts and preventative measures taking place aren’t always seen, City staff has been working hard and diligently to mitigate the situation.
City staff will continue to remove debris from the river channel and reinforce the river banks within the city as historic river flows are expected to last through the Fall. Runoff from the melting snowpack is expected to bring a cascade of rushing water from the Sierra Nevada over the next several months. Due to the erosion along the riverbanks and the forthcoming snow melt, the Mandatory Evacuation Order of the banks of the Tule River within city limits remain in effect and will continue to be enforced.
