High waters caused damage and cut off access to homes and a trailer park east of Fresno

FRESNO COUNTY (KFSN) -- Mark Burner is among the residents on Trimmer Springs Road near Piedra trying to clean up after Tuesday's deluge.

"It's crazy-- within 15 minutes the creek rose probably five feet, and all the debris and just tore up everything."

Burner's steer roping arena and pastures were flooded, but the biggest problem was how the floodwaters blocked access to roads and driveways.

"Yesterday you couldn't get in or out, we were land locked, everyone for a mile or so through here, the trailer park."

Residents of the Doyals Trailer Park were still restricted by the stream running over the road that leads into the park.

The Fresno County Department of Emergency Services has been made aware of the problem. The concern is whether emergency vehicles can get in.

Just down the road, thoroughbred horse breeder James McKenney said he has seen it flood before, but not like this.

"This is the worst it's ever been." McKenney adds, "A lot of my fencing, the back wall of my shed is gone, it's damaged a lot of alfalfa and hay in the barn."

McKenney and his neighbors believe problems like this could be avoided if they could build bridges over the creek.

"The department of Fish and Game and the Central California Flood Control District, they don't allow it. They've stated we need to stay out of their waterway."

State and Federal Environmental restrictions require extensive studies and a complex permitting process in order to build a private bridge over a public waterway. But it's something McKenney hopes to persuade the government to allow.

"They need to see the problem we have and be more sympathetic."

The big concern is that continued flooding could prevent emergency vehicles from reaching the trailer parks or homes along the creek.

The Fresno County Department of Emergency Services has monitored the situation and so far determined emergency vehicles could make it through.