Laguna Beach Flood Preparations Urged As Holiday Storm Arrives Thursday

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A winter storm barrels toward Laguna Beach midweek as city officials urge residents to prepare their homes and property.

One week ago, many new developments were overcome with flooding and rushing rainwater during the last storm to hammer Orange County.

Read: Flash Flooding Rips Through Laguna Beach Neighborhood: Video

Thursday's wet weather looks to be another cold and strong storm that will stick around for several days, according to reports from the National Weather Service.

Thursday through Saturday, a strong storm will bring intermittent periods of heavy rain and potential flooding to the streets and neighborhoods of Laguna Beach, city officials warn.

The first storm system was expected to bring rainfall late Wednesday through Friday, with rains peaking on Thursday.

Authorities were bracing for "moderate to brief heavy rain," which could trigger flooding and minor debris flows in areas of the Southland that have been scarred by wildfires. The rain and lowering snow levels could impact travel as Californians hit the road to reach their holiday destinations.

Thursday and Friday's rainfall totals are expected to be between 1.5- and 2-inches, according to National Weather Service San Diego projections for Orange County's coastal region. Inland and in foothill areas, over 2-inches of rain may fall.

Burn scar areas can expect flooding and debris flows, and sandbags are encouraged.

Saturday and Sunday, less rain is expected though mountain snow is likely.

The weather system was expected to linger through the weekend, bringing light rain and chilling temperatures to the Southland between Christmas Day and Sunday.

FLOOD GATES &. SANDBAG PREPARATIONS

Downtown business owners and residents should put your flood gates into place Thursday night and Friday as a precautionary measure to protect property and inventory, the city advised.

The City of Laguna Beach is providing pre-filled sandbags to residents and business owners from two locations starting Wednesday 12/22 at noon.

Note: there is a limit of 10 bags per household. These sandbags are not for contractors.

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

Empty sandbags are also available at Laguna Beach’s four fire stations. They are free, however, you must provide your own sand.

Sand can be purchased at the following locations. Please call ahead to make sure sand is available and prices are subject to change. The City does not place sandbags for the public except where there are known problems of flooding from City Streets.

• Ganahl Lumber - 1765 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach - (949) 494-6538
• Home Depot - 27301 La Paz Road, Laguna Niguel - (949) 831-3698
• Home Depot - 24332 El Toro Road, Laguna Woods - (949) 598-9171
• Larry's Building Materials - 1975 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach - (949) 494-1107

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.

Keep your sandbags through the spring, the city advises.

In the spring, when the rainy season is complete, Waste Management generally provides a roll-off bin at the Act V (1900 Laguna Canyon Rd) parking lot where you can dispose of your filled sandbags, the city says.

Be sure to sign up for Nixle notifications and AlertOC to keep informed about required actions or critical updates from the City. To sign up for Nixle text 92651 to 888-777 and visit www.alertoc.com.

Please visit Laguna Beach's emergency management website for further information about Emergency Preparedness and for video footage from past Laguna Beach disasters.

For further information, please contact Brendan Manning, Emergency Operations Coordinator, at (949) 497-0350 or bmanning@lagunabeachcity.net.

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