The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors declared the county to be in a state of emergency Tuesday, in response to continued rain in the area and the rise of river levels causing flooding and the closing of roadways.

Proclaiming a local emergency due to the recent storms allows the County to access more resources to better assist with costs to fix local roads and assist residents affected by rising water levels and flooding. The full level of assistance for County roads and local residents still remains to be determined. 

On Jan. 23, Governor Jerry Brown proclaimed a state of emergency due to flood conditions in the state, specifically listing Stanislaus County one of the affected counties.

Rivers and creeks in Stanislaus County are at or near flood stage. The Tuolumne River reached a water elevation of 54 feet on Tuesday, which is only 1 foot shy of flood stage.

Two residential communities adjacent to the San Joaquin River have been flooded and displaced numerous families, and other areas are threatened with flooding.

In the emergency proclamation, the County states that recent flooding due to rain and snow events in the region have negatively impacted and continue to threaten the County's economy.  The impact could worsen as additional rain and snow storms are expected to occur, which will increase the threat and extent of flooding in Stanislaus County.

The National Weather Service is predicting yet another round of wet weather to arrive in the area late Wednesday with several rounds continuing into next week.