Mariposa County takes extra precaution after last month's downpour

DOWNTOWN MARIPOSA, Calif. (KFSN) -- The weekend may have gotten off to a soggy start in the North Valley, but residents are looking at the bright side.

"This storm wasn't too bad, but the amount of water that came down just overran everything. This last big storm that we had," said Lana Machado.

She has owned Miner's Shack Video for 33 years. Machado says despite minimal water damage to the roof. She is thankful this storm was minor compared to March 22nd.

Because her store is along a natural spillway, Machado was bracing for the worst.

"The last storm was just unbelievable, just how fast it came in the store got flooded outside was flooded," said Machado.

The storm system expected to bring three to four inches of rain eased up by the time it reached Mariposa County.

Further up the mountain, the rainmaker brought the Merced River to a foot above flood level. Yosemite National Park anticipated and planned accordingly. The Valley floor closed by 5 p.m. Friday.

Video sent to Action News by a park employee shows fellow staffers trying to navigate the nearly impassible roadways

A week before this atmospheric river hit Caltrans crews worked tirelessly throughout the North Valley.

"We cleared drains trimmed bushes, cleaned up any extra debris made sure the roadways was good so people could get to their destination safely and quickly," said Caltrans Public Information Officer Chantel Vernon.