” captionposition=”left”] Thanks to El Niño, the thirsty Southland finally got a reprieve from the state’s longstanding drought as heavy rains fell during much of this week.
Local residents who haven’t already stockpiled sandbags or bookmarked weather-forecast websites in anticipation of this year’s seasons of storms, which experts have predicted as a strong one, still have numerous resources available to help them endure it. Through their websites, the cities of Signal Hill and Long Beach, as well as Los Angeles County, are providing assistance and suggestions on weathering the storms.
“I would advise residents to pay attention to weather forecasts of El Niño storms and to be prepared for heavy rains when the storms come,” said Signal Hill City Manager Charlie Honeycutt. “The City of Signal Hill is preparing for the rain by cleaning storm drains and making sandbags available to the community.”
Sand and sandbags are available at the Signal Hill City Yard, 2175 E. 28th St., Monday through Friday from 7am to 3pm on a first-come, first-served basis. Supply is limited to 10 sandbags per residence, and proof of residency in Signal Hill is required, according to the City’s Public Works Department.
If major storm activity occurs, the City may deploy additional sandbag stations at different sites. Residents may call (562) 989-7250 to get information on secondary locations.
Preparedness goes beyond having bags of sand at the ready, however, and Honeycutt said the City has a webpage dedicated to El Niño that includes useful information on how residents can protect their homes.
Yet another consideration is safety away from home.
“Drivers should be cautious when driving during storms,” Honeycutt warned. “The heavy rains could overwhelm storm drains and cause streets to flood.”
During the Nov. 24 Signal Hill City Council meeting, Emergency Operations Coordinator Richard Johnson gave a presentation on El Niño preparedness and identified areas in the city most prone to flooding during storms, including the intersection of Walnut Avenue and 33rd Street, Las Brisas, the dead end of Lewis Avenue and the general hilltop area.
However, Honeycutt this week said the City is not anticipating the need to close off any areas because of flooding and that, generally, flooding has been caused by debris blocking drains on private property or because items were placed in front of storm drain openings. The intersection of Walnut and 33rd is relatively flat, he said, so water drains slower off of Walnut Avenue, which causes the water to build up in the intersection.
“I would also encourage residents to visit the police department webpage (cityofsignalhill.org/police) and sign up for [the notification service] Nixle to receive storm-related information that may be issued by the City,” Honeycutt said.
During his presentation at the Signal Hill City Council meeting, Johnson suggested residents and business owners stay abreast of weather conditions by using radios, Nixle and social-media sites such as Twitter to get updated information from the National Weather Service.
“Stay aware of the weather predictions,” Johnson said. “Pay attention to the radio. Maintain situational awareness. Know what’s going on. Don’t let it sneak up on you.”
For those residing in Long Beach, sand is available at 1651 San Francisco Ave., and sand and sandbags are available at the following fire stations: Station 7, 2295 Elm Ave.; Station 12, 1199 E. Artesia Ave.; Station 13, 2475 Adriatic Ave.; and Station 14, 5200 Eliot St. Sandbags are also available at lifeguard headquarters in the Junipero Avenue parking lot.
At a recent panel discussion for California State University, Long Beach’s Distinguished Lecture Series, Mark Jackson, meteorologist in charge at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service office, described El Niño as a weather phenomenon characterized by a warming phase in the equatorial Pacific Ocean combined with a reversal of the usual trade-wind pattern. During an El Niño, trade winds blow from west to east.
“El Niño is a season of storms,” Jackson said. “All it means is that you have a higher number of storms within a season.”
He warned, however, that the drought won’t be over in California, even if El Niño does provide a great deal of rain in the next few months.
“It takes more than one season,” he said. “Unfortunately, much of that rain washes away into the ocean, and it’s runoff. What we need actually are multiple seasons of rebuilding that snowpack.”
Another way to prepare for the heavy precipitation is insurance. However, those pondering whether or not to get flood insurance should act soon, warns the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which indicates that it typically takes a month for a policy to take effect.
The agency released new data on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies, showing an increase of more than 20,000 new NFIP policies written in California during the month of November 2015.
There is a 30- to 90-day period for new policies to be reported to FEMA, and the latest available data shows an increase of 28,084 new flood insurance policies purchased in the state from Aug. 31 to Nov. 30, 2015.
“Flooding is the most costly and devastating disaster we face as a nation,” said FEMA Region 9 Administrator Robert Fenton. “The major increase in flood policies show[s] Californians are taking the threat seriously and taking powerful steps to protect their families and property. Those who may need and not have a flood policy should act today, as policies generally take 30 days to go into effect.”
The 12-percent increase is the first of its kind in recent history, according to FEMA. The previous reporting period showed that policies increased 3 percent from Aug. 31 to Oct. 31. During that timeframe, 7,181 new federal flood insurance policies were written in California.
“We are encouraged by the number of Californians that are becoming financially prepared for the flooding that is expected from El Niño,” said Janet Ruiz, California representative for the Insurance Information Institute. “It is crucial to protect our families and homes by preparing for catastrophes ahead of time.”
FEMA administers the NFIP and works with over 80 private insurance companies to offer flood insurance to homeowners, renters and business owners. In order to qualify for flood insurance, the home or business must be in a community that has joined the NFIP and agreed to enforce sound floodplain management standards, according to the agency, which also advises residents that only flood insurance covers flood damage. Most standard policies do not cover that type of destruction.
Residents can visit FloodSmart.gov or call 1-800-427-2419 for more information about individual flood risk, to explore coverage options and to find a local agent.
Those interested can also visit Ready.gov for more preparedness tips and information and follow FEMARegion9 on Twitter.
In his emailed newsletter this week, 4th District Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe stated that right now his staff’s focus is on the rain storms and ensuring the safety of residents, particularly those who are homeless.
He indicated that his staff members have been posting El Niño-related information about preparedness and resources at lacounty.gov/elnino .
“Please be sure you and your families are ready, and take the time to look out for your neighbors who might need a little extra help,” Knabe wrote. “Together, I know that we can endure these welcome rains safely.”
