Visalia Unified cancels some school activities ahead of possible flooding

Lauren Jennings, Visalia Times-Delta
·1 min read
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Visalia Unified School District is canceling a handful of school activities — including Tuesday night's school board meeting — following an atmospheric river that has continued to pummel California over the last week.

“Given the increasing concern of storm runoff, VUSD is proactively canceling school activities this evening after 6 p.m.,” Visalia Unified spokeswoman Cristina Gutierrez said. “We will continue to assess any impact on schools and adjust Wednesday’s school operations as necessary.”

The intense storm flooded portions of Tulare County over the last week, including parts of Highway 99, forcing travelers to find alternate routes. The city of Visalia declared a state of emergency late Monday night. It ends next week.

Lake Kaweah reached capacity early Thursday morning, activating the Terminus Dam spillway.

"We could see localized flooding near our waterways," the latest update from the City of Visalia reads. "This means that water could reach capacity in our own waterways and spill over at various points in Visalia."

City officials have urged residents near canals to prepare. No evacuations are anticipated in the City of Visalia due to the reduced releases from Terminus Dam.

“We are in frequent communication with city officials,” Gutierrez continued, “and are aware that the city is being proactive and making plans for potential flooding throughout the city.”

It is unknown when the Visalia Unified school board meeting will be rescheduled. The next scheduled meeting is a joint meeting between the College of the Sequoias, the city of Visalia and Visalia Unified on March 23.

"Based on current information and in consultation with the city, our schools will be open tomorrow, March 15," Gutierrez said. "We continue to monitor the weather and local conditions to ensure students and staff stay safe."

Visalia Times-Delta reporter Sheyanne Romero contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Visalia Unified cancels some school activities following storm