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California farmers sacrifice expensive trucks to stop flooding in farmlands in viral video

California is struggling because of recent storms that also brought flooding that destroyed farmlands across the state

CALIFORNIA, USA: A video of a man driving his expensive truck into a levee to stop the flood water from wreaking more devastation in farmlands has gone viral. The clip shared by a 6th generation California farmer in Central Valley, named Cannon Michael, also showed another truck already blocking the water from spreading further in the pistachio orchard.

Michael captioned his Twitter post, “I have never seen this type of #flood control measure before! Here is how some farmers deal with a breach in the Tulare Lake bottom. I assume they will pile some additional dirt on. #cawater #cawx #farm #agriculture.” He further shared a photo, which explained the issue as he wrote, “Here is the problem they were facing -”

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‘There are little breaches everywhere’

California is struggling because of recent storms that also brought in flooding that destroyed farmlands across the state. Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, said as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, “You have to remember some of these rivers don’t have major reservoir systems, and they can get overwhelmed quickly.”

“There are little breaches everywhere. There are farmers, particularly in Tulare County, who are working 24 hours around the clock to manage the systems,” Jacobsen added.

Meanwhile, Michael’s video about the Chevy Silverado has been viewed millions of times. It also revealed the farmers as saying, “It did good" and “Yes yes yes!” Though it has not been confirmed where the incident happened, many claimed it to be from the Tule River watershed. Michael told The Chronicle, “It’s not what I would do,” but also added, “Sometimes you have to react quickly and (it was) doubtful anyone was coming to help.”

‘Shows that they’re willing to sacrifice for the bigger picture’

Many people commented below the video as a user tweeted, “Those guys trying to save their orchard (trees). And who knows what other damage that water will cause. Houses? Shops? Buildings? Farm equipment? Shows that they’re willing to sacrifice for the bigger picture. Hopefully they were able to bring in backhoe to finish the job.” Another user shared, “Orchards (trees) worth way more than the trucks. Hopefully they got it plugged. #Ingenuity.”

“Sometimes you do what you have to do! 👍” the third one said and the fourth one added, “In 1953 a similar thing was done at Nieuwerkerk aan de IJssel in the Netherlands. Difference was they used a commercial freight ship.”

A tweet stated, "I saw some Iraqi farmers to do the same with abandoned BMP/MTLB. Fast and effective.” Another one read, “@Ford @chevy best advertising right here. 😩 Heroes saving their community, risking what they own to protect the crops and their loved ones ❤️.” “CA farm girl here: When I was about 10, I was out in the orchard “helping” my dad irrigate on a hot Aug. night. A small levee broke & dad had me lie down in the breach while he shoveled dirt against me until the levee was stabilized. One of the funniest memories of my childhood!” a user claimed.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.