BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 Bakersfield residents worry about what happens when the rain really comes down \u2014 and why they say more drainage is needed before streets flood.<\/p>\n
For some residents, emergency preparedness means worrying about flooding close to home.<\/p>\n
“The drain at the end of our cul-de-sac down here on Mountain Gate gets kinda flooded awfully fast,” Jacy Schill said.<\/p>\n
Schill says heavy rain can quickly flood the street, raising concerns about how the city will handle more severe weather.<\/p>\n
“We have seen the flooding here in a huge downpour,” Schill said.<\/p>\n
For Dee Slade, the African American Network of Kern County executive director, preparedness started with a question about how ready people are when disaster strikes.<\/p>\n
“They were talking about evacuating southern parts of California and I think San Diego and I was wondering if those folks were prepared or running around trying to find papers?” Slade said.<\/p>\n
Now, Slade has handed out hundreds of go-bags through the Buffalo Soldiers program for Bakersfield residents. She is helping residents prepare by filling plastic backpacks with essential supplies.<\/p>\n
“We buy most our products from Dollar Tree,” Slade said.<\/p>\n
The bags include first-aid supplies, hygiene items and zipper bags to help protect important personal documents.<\/p>\n
And while the go-bags help residents prepare for an emergency, Schill and Slade both say they also want to see steps to address flooding before it gets worse.<\/p>\n
City official Joe Conroy says the city has studied drainage issues in downtown Bakersfield.<\/p>\n
“We did a storm water study drainage study in 2020 for the downtown area,” Conroy said.<\/p>\n
Conroy says residents can also report problems to the city so crews can respond.<\/p>\n
“You can have us come out. You can report it through the Bakersfield mobile app,” Conroy said.<\/p>\n
The city says El Ni\u00f1o may not hit Bakersfield hard, but the message to residents is clear: have an emergency plan before disaster strikes.<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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