San Joaquin County declares state of emergency due to risk of Delta levee failure

San Joaquin County declared a state of emergency on Wednesday for a potential levee failure on Victoria Island that could result in extensive damage to agricultural lands, disruptions along Highway 4, and compromised drinking water sources for the region.

Reclamation District engineers found slumping along the Old River levee on Victoria Island on Oct. 21. In response, county officials say they have taken "emergency measures" to provide temporary barriers, but the levee remains at risk.

“Public safety is a top priority for the county,” said Sierra Brucia, director of the San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services. “By proclaiming a local emergency, the county is provided more authority to better facilitate the response operations and allows the issuance of protective orders as needed to ensure the safety of our community members.”

West Sacramento-based engineering firm Kjeldsen, Sinnock and Neudeck, Inc. has contacted community members living behind the levee and provided them with emergency protocols and updates on repairs. The firm is working with local authorities to stabilize and strengthen the levee infrastructure, county officials said.

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“KSN Inc. continues to work alongside the county of San Joaquin and the Department of Water Resources to prevent the risk of this levee failure,” said Christopher Neudeck, principal engineer and incident commander for KSN, Inc. “With the support of the county proclaiming a local emergency, we are able to request additional state and federal assistance to support mitigation and technical response efforts.”

Emergency flood safety tips

County officials are asking people who live behind the levee on Victoria Island and in surrounding areas to do their part to protect their homes and loved ones from potential levee failure. They recommend the following safety tips:

• Sign up for SJReady Alerts by going to www.sjready.org.

• Make an emergency plan with your family and consider each individual’s unique needs.

• Build an emergency supply kit that will last each person for 72 hours.

• Take pictures of your home and property including vehicles, boats, and farm equipment.

• Move valuables from basements and ground floods to higher levels if possible.

• Place sandbags anywhere water may enter your home.

• Stay informed. Listen to your local radio or TV station to stay up to date.

• If instructed to evacuate by local authorities, leave immediately.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: San Joaquin declares state of emergency due to risk of levee failure