San Francisco Declares Local Emergency in Preparation for Historic El Niño
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a local emergency on Friday, as flooding and rains from what could be a historic El Niño make their way to the Bay Area.
The declaration, announced during a press conference and with the backing of local emergency personnel, allows the city to access El Niño preparation services faster and lets Lurie reallocate funds between and within departments for the emergency.
Federal and independent forecasters have long warned of stronger storms and more flooding due to the weather event. The National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center said there’s an 83% chance of a record-breaking El Niño through the end of the year. A report from UC Davis released this week also said low-lying areas throughout the Bay Area, including the runways at San Francisco International Airport and the Oakland airport, Highway 37 and the eastern approach of the Bay Bridge, are extremely vulnerable to floods and failure this winter.
“Getting these resources ahead of severe weather will help our city protect facilities and respond quickly when impacts do occur,” Lurie said at a press conference. “We are preparing to keep essential services running during storms.”
The declaration simplifies contract awards for more than half a dozen departments, including Public Works, the Public Utilities Commission and the Port of San Francisco.
The city’s Department of Emergency Management has already been leading efforts to coordinate preparations. It’s asking other departments to prepare for possible staffing disruptions and to identify possible service gaps.
Emergency Management has also teamed up with the Department of Technology to create additional map features on the city’s website, which show where evacuation and other supply sites are located.
This month, Public Works completed sewer and water upgrades across around 1.4 million miles of sewer pipes, which are expected to reduce flood risk, according to the city.
SFMTA is adding more maintenance and protective equipment to prepare. In the event of severe weather, the agency will adjust service and, when necessary, replace rail and trolley service with buses.
Mary Ellen Carroll, executive director of Emergency Management, said the declaration prevents “procedural roadblocks” from getting in the way of preparations.
“We also want to remind everyone that preparedness is a partnership, and we are asking residents to do their part to get ready for a wet winter,” Carroll said in a statement.
Other cities — and the state of California — are making their own preparations and have asked the same of residents in areas that could be impacted by El Niño. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in September in response to the event, and the Santa Clara Valley Water District announced its own days ago.
The city of San José, which faced its own mass flooding event in 2017, said this month it was also making preparations for large amounts of rain and potential flooding.
San Francisco said that residents can start their own preparations by staying up to date with National Weather Service forecasts, signing up for AlertSF, looking into flood insurance and protecting belongings using sandbags or elevating items in garages and basements.