Got Sandbags? Extreme Weather Is Here and Laguna Beach Has You Covered

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — The City of Laguna Beach is expected to be impacted by a series of three winter storms Thursday, January 19 through Monday, January 23.

Each storm will bring intermittent periods of heavy rain, high surf, and potential flooding, Laguna Beach Emergency Operations Coordinator Jordan Villwock said.

"The most significant storm is predicted to arrive Sunday evening and continue through Tuesday," he said.

Downtown and Canyon residents and business owners are encouraged to put your flood gates into place during the evening hours while your business is closed as a precautionary measure to protect your property and inventory.

The National Weather Service has issued a Beach Hazards Statement for coastal Orange County from Thursday at 10 a.m. until Tuesday at 3 a.m. in advance of a series of strong winter storms moving into our area.

The storms each bring the potential for high surf, coastal flooding and large amounts of rain that can cause urban flooding according to the National Weather Service alerts.

Do not drive your vehicle into areas where the water covers the roadway: turn around, don’t drown! Please drive safely.

"As a reminder, the City of Laguna Beach is providing pre-filled sandbags to residents and business owners from two locations: Act V and Aliso Beach East Parking.

• Act V parking lot – 1900 Laguna Canyon Road
• Aliso Beach East parking – 31118 Coast Highway

NOTE: These sandbags are not for contractors.

"Sandbags are also available at Laguna Beach’s four fire stations. They are free, however, you must provide your own sand," Villwock said.

It is not permitted to fill them with sand from Laguna’s beaches or playgrounds.

For local locations of where you can purchase sand please visit our website www.lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/police/... Go to AlertOC.com to register your cell phone numbers, text numbers, and email addresses into the mass notification system.

Are You Connected to AlertOC?

It is recommended that you register your work and home addresses separately to ensure you receive proper notifications for each location.

AlertOC is a critical link for residents and businesses to immediately learn of any required actions. To avoid being trapped when floodwaters threaten your area, the best way to protect yourself and your family is to evacuate before the flooding starts.

"Weather watches, warnings, and evacuations notices are science-based predictions that are intended to provide adequate time for evacuation," he said. "Those who wait for actual confirmation of catastrophic levels may be trapped by flooding or traffic."

Please visit www.lagunabeachcity.net/cityhall/police/... for further information about Emergency Preparedness and for video footage from past Laguna Beach disasters.

For further information, please contact Jordan Villwock, Emergency Operations Coordinator, at (949) 497-0389 or jvillwock@lagunabeachcity.net