California Braces for Floods as Snowpack Melts

California's Central Valley, a major agricultural region that produces a fourth of the nation's food, is facing a potential disaster as a historic amount of snow is melting and could cause massive flooding. The valley's flood control systems are outdated and dilapidated, and the region has seen little investment due to a patchwork of local water managers, counties, and private landowners being in charge of their own flood prevention. The state has allocated only a quarter of the funds needed for flood management in the region, and recent budget cuts have left many communities vulnerable. The looming catastrophe could cause billions in loss and damage, submerge towns, and affect tens of thousands of residents, many of them farmworkers and families with low incomes who have already endured significant flooding and sodden crops.