County Supervisors Declare Emergency For El Nino, Following Report

SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday voted to declare a countywide emergency ahead of forecasted El Niño-related storms, along with allocating up to $1 million to help residents after a natural disaster, including floods or wildfires.

Supervisors also voted to formally receive a report on weather preparedness efforts, and extended the review date for distribution of sandbags and other resources to Dec. 31, 2033.

El Niño is a natural climate pattern marked by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, which can shift weather patterns and bring wetter and more intense winters to California. Officials warn the cycle could bring heavy rain, strong winds, mountain snow and coastal flooding.

The looming El Niño event is already breaking records, and forecasters expect it to continue to strengthen, potentially becoming the strongest in recorded history.

Along with how the county will get ready for more severe weather, officials went over lessons learned -- including better training and coordination with regional partners -- following the devastating January 2024 flooding in southeastern San Diego neighborhoods.

According to a slide presentation, future actions include:

-- a task force coordinating ongoing readiness;

-- more collaboration with cities, tribal nations and community networks;

-- Have a streamlined process for multi-lingual outreach, purchases and permitting, based on governmental emergency declarations --developing a severe weather preparedness resource hub; and

-- informing residents about El Nino.

Joan Bracci, the county's chief financial officer and assistant chief administrative officer, said the report was not just about government operations, but also about "making sure that residents have what they need to protect themselves, their families and their neighborhoods."

"The county is taking a whole community approach," Bracci said, "so we are operating cohesively as a region when a storm arrives."

"We cannot control the weather, but we can control how prepared we are," she added.

Kathleen Flannery, interim general manager of the Public Safety Group, updated the board on improving shelter operations, expanding evacuation procedures and better coordination with tribal governments.

She said the county created clearer operation rules, along with a community liaison officer.

"Emergencies don't end when the rain stops," she added.

Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe said that following the January 2024 flooding, residents at community meetings were rightfully angry about lack of coordinated response, while nonprofits asked why they had to do the work that government normally should handle.

"After what we all went though, the county made a commitment to step up and do better," the board vice chair said.

The 2024 disaster showed that gaps in communication have real consequences for underserved communities, said Montgomery Steppe, who added, "We must be clear about what we will do, when we'll do it and exactly how those actions will be carried out in practice."

Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said families deserve a county is acting on their behalf. She added that better preparation "has to be a regional effort," with the San Diego city government, transit agencies, community partners and schools.

"A family facing rising water doesn't want to hear this is the city's responsibility or that's a county issue, or wait a certain amount of time for this form to come to you," Aguirre added.

Supervisor Jim Desmond said that declaring an emergency in advance is a proactive move.

"It's reassuring to know our team is prepared," said Desmond, who added the county led the response to help flooding victims two years ago.

As he has in previous meetings, Desmond criticized San Diego city government for dragging its feet and pointing fingers following the natural disaster.

"We bailed out the city of San Diego and provided $34 million to them in relief funds for residents affected by the floods because the city did not prepare," Desmond added.

— City News Service