Santa Cruz County officials are preparing for winter weather as federal forecasters call for a potentially strong El Niño this fall and winter.
The county has updated its El Niño resource webpage with information aimed at helping residents prepare for severe weather, including heavy rain, flooding, landslides, large waves and coastal erosion.
Officials note that El Niño’s effects vary and its connection to increased rainfall is less consistent in Central and Northern California than in Southern California.
The website includes information on CruzAware emergency alerts and evacuation zones, sandbag locations, road closures, power outages, animal evacuations, flood cleanup and disaster assistance. Resources are available in English and Spanish where possible.
Meanwhile, county crews are carrying out annual winter preparations on roads, drainage systems and flood-control infrastructure.
Those efforts include inspecting and clearing culverts and roadside drainage systems, preparing flood-response equipment and maintaining supplies for debris removal and emergency repairs. The county also plans to prepare or replenish more than 40,000 sandbags for public distribution and emergency flood fighting.
More than 70 road and drainage workers receive annual training in flood fighting, swift-water awareness, confined-space procedures and emergency equipment operation. The county increases its after-hours winter response capacity beginning in October.
Crews also inspect more than 160 bridges and large culvert crossings and clear debris that could contribute to flooding. Levees, pump stations and backup power systems are inspected and serviced ahead of winter.
In the Pajaro Valley, the county coordinates with the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency, Watsonville and other agencies on the Pajaro River levee system, including identifying work that should be completed before winter and reviewing emergency flood-fighting plans.
For information, visit santacruzcountyca.gov/living/elnino.aspx.
