|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors declared this winter’s El Niño to be a local emergency Tuesday, easing the way for the county’s Department of Emergency Management to make preparations with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.
Meteorologists have been ringing alarm bells, forecasting strong-to-very strong El Niño conditions this winter. Across the county, cities and local governments have been mobilizing to prepare for unusually high winds, heavy rain and large storm surges along the coast from El Niño-fueled storms. El Niño occurs when unusually warm water in the Pacific Ocean upends typical weather patterns, often triggering rainier weather in much of California.
“We cannot predict the storms, but we can prepare now,” Dr. Shruti Dhapodkar, the county’s director of emergency management, said at the Oct. 20 Board of Supervisors meeting.
Along with clearing the runway for emergency preparations, the proclamation established an El Niño Preparedness and Response Task Force through the end of March, headed by Dhapodkar.
The likelihood of strong winter storms brings a higher risk of floods, landslides, coastal erosion and power outages. Officials are urging residents to research if they’re in a flood zone or potentially hazardous area, and to plan accordingly. San Mateo County residents can sign up for emergency notifications at SMC Alert.
County Supervisor Lisa Gauthier said the emergency declaration improves the coordination between departments, cities, government agencies and residents by creating a framework and preparedness plan.
“The goal is to identify risks early, prepare our resources and make sure we are ready to respond when conditions demand it,” Gauthier said.
It’s nearly impossible to predict the severity and timing of the storms, so weather experts have been urging local leaders to make preparations now. Most cities in San Mateo County have opened sandbag distribution locations for residents and published emergency preparedness information, including Redwood City, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. Redwood City recently launched an Adopt-a-Drain program to reduce flood risks by mobilizing residents to help keep storm drains clear of debris.
In the winter of 2022-23, heavy rains pelted the Bay Area starting on New Year’s Eve, flooding homes and roads, and cutting power to some neighborhoods. In Redwood City, neighborhoods near the Bay were inundated with floodwater that couldn’t drain due to higher tides. Dozens of homes suffered flood damages in Menlo Park in the same storm, as water spilled over the banks of the San Francisquito Creek.
One Shoreline is San Mateo County’s flood protection authority and has preparedness resources and tools online. Menlo Park residents can pick up sandbags in the Burgess Park parking lot at the corner of Burgess Drive and Alma Street, and Fire Station 77, 1467 Chilco Street.
East Palo Alto residents can pick up sandbags at the Public Works Corporation Yard, 150 Tara Road.
Redwood City residents can pick up sandbags at the Public Works Services Yard, 1400 Broadway.
