California’s wettest winter on record, the El Niño 1997-98, cost California more than $400 million in damages. Seven inches of rain fell in a single day, rivers overflowed, waves and mudslides washed away roads, and 17 people died.
Climate models are predicting that the coming El Niño can rival or surpass the 1997-98 El Niño, and after a decade of drought and catastrophic wildfires, our parched landscape is as ill-prepared for torrential rain as it is in need of it.
Now is the time to prepare for El Niño.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the first step is to know your risk. Residents living in low-lying beachfront homes are aware of their flood risks, but folks living in drought-stricken or fire-ravaged canyons may not be aware that conditions are uniquely aligned for mudslides. “If you are in a wildfire area and the area around you has burned, the land can’t absorb that water,” states Olivia Humilde, FEMA’s Mitigation Outreach Specialist. Residents can identify their flood risk by entering their addresses at the government’s FloodSmart website.
Most homeowners’ insurance policies don’t cover flooding. If you think your home is at risk of flooding this winter, now is the time to buy flood insurance because policies may take 30 days to go into effect. The FloodSmart website includes information about flood insurance and links to insurance agents.
Even more important than insuring your home is preparing your family for an emergency. Put together a disaster supply kit and practice a family communication plan. A basic disaster supply kit should include a clear gallon tub filled with:
- battery powered hand crank radio to listen to evacuation routes
- flashlight
- batteries
- first aid kit
- whistle
- water
- canned food and can opener
- cell phone with external chargers or solar powered chargers (can be purchased from stores like REI)
- prescription medications
- eye glasses
- formula and diapers for babies
- pet food and water for animals
A family communication plan should prepare everyone in the family for the possibility of an emergency during the day when children may be at school or parents at work. Families should designate a first point of contact to check in with and a place to evacuate to. Social media can be a very efficient way to communicate with one another. A communication plan could include an emergency family twitter hashtag. “An emergency is stressful enough,” said Humilde. “Knowing you have plan in place is really helpful.”
