San Diego County supervisors voted Wednesday, Oct. 7, to declare a countywide emergency and allocate up to $1 million for El Niño disaster response.
The vote matters for Coronado, where January 2024 rainfall overwhelmed the city's stormwater system, burst a sewer line and flooded streets across the low-lying community.
Joan Bracci, the county's chief financial officer and assistant chief administrative officer, told the board the money would help residents prepare for floods, wildfires and other storm damage. She said the county is pursuing a "whole community approach, so we are operating cohesively as a region when a storm arrives."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has said El Niño will continue to strengthen through the end of the year, with a 75% chance it surpasses every recorded event dating back to 1950, ABC News reported. The current event already ranks as the second strongest on record for this time of year, behind 1997.
Wednesday's vote follows a Sept. 30 county emergency proclamation the county said would speed access to state and federal resources if storms hit. The Oct. 7 action added the $1 million allocation and formally received a preparedness report, first reported by CBS 8.
That report drew lessons from the January 2024 flooding in southeastern San Diego neighborhoods. Kathleen Flannery, interim general manager of the county's Public Safety Group, told supervisors the county has created clearer operational rules and added a community liaison officer.
Flannery said the county is also improving shelter operations, expanding evacuation procedures and coordinating more closely with tribal governments.
Board Vice Chair Monica Montgomery-Steppe said residents at community meetings after the 2024 floods "were rightfully angry about the lack of coordinated response," according to CBS 8, and that nonprofits had asked why they were doing work the government should handle.
Supervisor Jim Desmond noted the county provided $34 million in relief funds to the City of San Diego for residents affected by the 2024 floods, saying the city "did not prepare."
Supervisor Paloma Aguirre stressed the need for regional coordination. "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 said.
Coronado has taken its own steps. The city completed its $32 million Parker Pump Station in August, replacing a 1983-era facility that collects stormwater from about 150 acres, according to the Coronado Times. City Manager Tina Friend said at an Aug. 18 city council meeting that Coronado is "just intrinsically vulnerable. We are flat. We are at sea level. We are surrounded by water."
The board also extended the review date for sandbag distribution and other resources to Dec. 31, 2033. The county's Alert San Diego page directs residents to sign up for emergency notifications, pick up free sandbags at county and CAL FIRE sites, and use an interactive hazard-mapping tool. Residents can also dial 2-1-1 for preparedness resources.
