Tense flood watch in San Joaquin River community

The club — an old fishing and hunting neighborhood surrounded by almond farms — hasn’t seen such dangerous flood levels since 1997.

The floodplain is gone again, hidden beneath about 5 feet of water that spilled over from the river and is now climbing up the levee that protects the quiet community of about 1,000 retirees, children and others from being underwater.

With flashbacks of past floods setting in and the river gathering in speed and height, county emergency officials have told low-lying residents of the club to be ready to evacuate.

The club’s president, Ginny Edwards, dusted off 20-year-old walkie-talkies should their newer technology — cell phones, mass text alerts and Facebook pages — fail them.

The clubhouse tables, usually strewn with bingo boards, now hold color-coded maps, emergency flood pamphlets and a spreadsheet for residents to sign up for levee patrolling.

[...] this is good because now we have moisture, but it’s a little overkill.