Residents respond to flood warnings, heavy rain in Madera County mountains

OAKHURST, Calif. (KFSN) -- Flood warnings owed to dense rainfall threatened communities successful the Madera County mountains connected Sunday, causing residents to instrumentality other precautions connected the roads and successful their homes.

Driving connected slick roads successful upland communities tin rapidly go dangerous.

"I astir hydroplaned earlier connected 49," said Oakhurst nonmigratory Jacob Pennington, who described the infinitesimal arsenic heart-stopping.

Pennington is conscionable 1 of galore Oakhurst residents who person experienced that benignant of fearfulness this weekend.

The operator of a Mustang was critically injured Sunday aft violently crashing into a tree.

Locals successful Oakhurst are weighing in, saying determination would beryllium acold less crashes if radical would dilatory down.

"Everybody wants to walk and bash their metropolis driving, and it conscionable doesn't work. It conscionable causes a batch of accidents, and you truly got to dilatory down successful the rainfall and the snow," said David Gelzer.

"You got to cognize wherever you live, what benignant of tires and beryllium delicate to the benignant of tires," added Tim Troutnerd.

Authorities accidental that erstwhile upwind conditions are severe, they tin supply assistance.

"For snowy conditions successful rescue situations, we person our brand-new SHERP, which tin beryllium utilized successful precocious levels of snow. We tin spell retired and rescue people," said Kate Woertman, the Director of Public Safety and Madera County Sheriff's Office.

Woertman urged region residents to ever study exigency situations -- whether it involves you oregon idiosyncratic else. She said they supply online resources some to assistance residents prepare up of storms, and to support them informed.

"We're present to service our community, support you safe, successful each situations. Not conscionable crime-related," she said.