Flash flood warning issued in eastern Kern, evacuation called for Sand Canyon
Aug. 20—The National Weather Service in Hanford issued a warning shortly after noon Sunday about flash flooding in eastern Kern.
The agency advised people to move to higher ground in an area that includes Garlock, Inyokern, Johannesburg, Ridgecrest, Saltdale and Searles. It said the area contains 32,289 people, 13 schools and a hospital.
A second flash flood advisory sent just after 12:30 p.m. Sunday warned of flash flooding in a 47-person area between Mojave and Monolith. Both recommended people avoid driving or walking through flood waters. The first advisory was set to lift at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, the second at 3:15 p.m.
Another flash flood warning NWS sent out after 5 p.m., and extending until 11 p.m., said Doppler radar spotted heavy rain across east central Kern. It specifically mentioned risks to Jawbone Canyon, Mojave, Piutes and Tehachapi.
At 2:01 p.m., the Kern County Fire Department issued an order to evacuate Sand Canyon because of worries the area's only access road will become impassable because of Tropical Storm Hillary.
The order told people to leave the area and seek shelter elsewhere, adding that the area is "lawfully closed to public access." It referred evacuees to the Tehachapi Education Center, 126 S. Snyder Ave. in Tehachapi.
The boundaries stated were Bakersfield Tehachapi Highway on the south, Sand Canyon Road and Deer Trail on the north, Sand Canyon Road on the west and "Sweetwater, Mk21" on the east.
At 3:21 p.m. followed a ReadyKern notice that Cache Creek had overflowed and that people north of Highway 58 and east of Sand Canyon Road should shelter in place. The service put out a map of the affected zone: https://zonehaven.link/8RUQgK.
A separate alert issued by the National Weather Service in Hanford at 3:36 p.m. warned of flash flooding in the Tehachapi area, saying the threat is "ongoing or expected to begin shortly."
Separately, Kern County Public Works reported two road closures Sunday morning, one along Cameron Road between Highway 58 and Woodford-Tehachapi Road and the other on Redrock Randsburg Road between Highways 395 and 14.
This story will be updated.
