Sixth Avenue used to cut through miles of farmland. “I’m just amazed at how fast it filled.” Mark Grewal, an agricultural consultant, stands on a flooded road near Corcoran, where Tulare Lake is reappearing and inundating thousands of acres of farmland. In previous flood years, Grewal said, levees were typically cut open in an agreed-upon order, sending water from one …
Juan Espinoza, 21, walks around the flooded property where he lives in Allensworth, a small hamlet in rural San Joaquin Valley. Estrada said she’s worried that water from a coming storm could climb higher toward the doorstep of her mobile home. “Let’s get some water flowing.” The 15 men, who belong to Ventura Crew 2, started digging, piling mud by …
Last week, when it rained for days and floodwaters poured onto roads, the people of Allensworth grabbed shovels and revved up tractors. “We know who’s done it.” Mitchell said he hopes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or other authorities will come in to “take charge” and help the area “start getting rid of this floodwater.” “We need some help …
“Food grows where water flows” is a common phrase in California’s Central Valley, but it hits particularly close to home in Allensworth — the state’s first town founded, funded and governed by Black Americans. “Martin Luther King wasn’t the only dreamer,” said Sasha Briscoe, a resident of Bakersfield and president of Friends of Allensworth, which organizes events and assists with …
