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
March 14, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE CITY OF PORTERVILLE DECLARES LOCAL STATE OF EMERGENCY IN RESPONSE TO ATMOSPHERIC STORMS
The City of Porterville has made a Declaration of Local Emergency in response to the Atmospheric River storm events. As a result of the local emergency declaration, the City’s Emergency Operations Center has formerly been activated and a Unified Command with Tulare County has been entered.
Under advisement from the County of Tulare and the Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Porterville made the declaration and immediately implemented an emergency response plan under the direction of Fire Chief, Bryan Cogburn, as the Incident Commander for the City’s Emergency Management Team.
The City of Porterville is working closely with other local agencies such as the County of Tulare, CalTrans, SoCal Gas, Southern California Edison, and other nearby cities to prepare for all possibilities. Residents who live directly next to a waterway are advised to utilize City services, place sandbags at their property, and prepare for the possibility of waterways to spill over. As the storm and flooding event progresses, information will be disseminated to all residents and community members via social media, media outlets, in-person notifications as needed, and even text alerts if residents opt to receive them.
In the event of a life-threatening emergency, call 911. If residents are experiencing an issue or see excessive flooding that is non-life-threatening, call the City’s non-emergency line at (559) 782-7400.
To receive emergency alerts directly from the County of Tulare and the City of Porterville, sign up for AlertTC at https://www.alerttc.com/.
For sandbag information for Tulare County Fire station locations please visit: https://tularecounty.ca.gov/emergencies/. Residents of Porterville needing sandbags can visit the Porterville Corporation Yard located 1265 W. Grand Ave. in Porterville.
