Gov. Newsom has declared a statewide emergency for California in anticipation of this winter’s El Niño-fueled storms, a new sign of growing worry about costal flooding and high waves expected in the coming months.
El Niño may bring high surf, high impact storms to the state which “warrants early, coordinated, and targeted preparedness actions to protect Californians, critical infrastructure, agricultural lands, natural resources, and the State’s economy,” the state’s emergency proclamation read.
Already this year, multiple counties have declared local emergencies as a spell of powerful, tropical storms from the Pacific sent high surf to Southern California, eroding local beaches.
“California is strongest when we look out for one another. That is what this action is about,” Newsom said in a prepared statement Monday in announcing the emergency declaration. “Giving communities the support they need, giving first responders the tools to do their jobs, and giving families the confidence that their state is ready.”
Along with the statewide proclamation, the governor proclaimed emergencies in multiple counties, including Santa Barbara County, that had been hit hard recently from the storms.
The move comes amid growing alarm over coastal damage from El Niño.
Homes from south Orange County to Malibu were flooded and severely damaged. Erosion chewed away the coast from Carlsbad to Long Beach.
Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Carlsbad last week declared local states of emergency, citing coastal erosion and sand loss from the effects of a south swell brought on by Hurricane Marie. El Niño typically results in an unusually active hurricane season in the eastern Pacific, which is where Hurricane Marie formed.
Orange County officials announced that they were activating their emergency operations center, which is required when two cities in the county proclaim a local emergency.
In San Diego County, Carlsbad declared a local emergencyin an effort to save Carlsbad Boulevard, also known as Old Highway 101, from severe erosion.
An El Niño-influenced phenomenon — a “coastally trapped Kelvin wave” — is moving up the coast of Mexico and will soon hit the U.S. West Coast.
The winter is expected to bring more damaging storms. Government forecasters say there’s now a 75% chance this latest El Niño will be stronger than any other since 1950. There is a 98% chance that El Niño will be “very strong” for the three-month period ending in December, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said Thursday.
The post California declares statewide emergency ahead of epic El Niño storms appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
