The governor’s office said California has prepositioned flood-fighting supplies at 70 locations statewide, including 6.2 million sandbags, more than 52,000 feet of portable flood barriers and 400,000 tons of rock to repair levees.
Governor criticized the Biden administration’s successor for scaling back federal disaster support; the governor said, “’s FEMA has a message for Americans facing disaster: DROP DEAD.”
The governor’s office said state agencies are inspecting flood infrastructure and preparing response systems; crews inspect all 1,600 miles of levees in the State Plan of Flood Control system each fall and ready bypasses, weirs and other structures.
The governor’s office said the Department of Water Resources is coordinating regional workshops, technical assistance and engineering guidance with local partners, and Cal OES is reviewing dam emergency action plans and staging resources.
Cal OES Director said, “Flood Preparedness Week is a call to action to protect Californians before flooding puts lives at risk.” DWR Director Tom Gibson said, “Now is the time to prepare for emergencies, and the strong El Niño conditions that are developing make preparation more important than ever.”
Practical steps the governor’s office urged Californians to take now include signing up for local emergency alerts; using Cal OES’s MyHazards tool to find location-specific flood risk and guidance; making an evacuation plan and emergency kit that includes medications and pet supplies; and never driving through floodwater because roadways can be deeper or washed out beneath the water.
State
Gavin Newsom
Governor · Democrat
Named 2 times in this story.
Portrait: Official portrait
Federal
Donald J. Trump
President of the United States · Republican
Named once in this story.
Portrait: Daniel Torok / The White House (public domain)
State
Caroline Thomas Jacobs
Director, Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES)
Named once in this story.
Sources & methodology
This report was written from the primary materials below. Links open at the original publisher.
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