Temperatures have begun to drop in California and winter weather conditions are beginning to set in, leading communities to face the challenges of snow, extreme rainfall, strong winds and flooding. In light of this, experts are calling for all available tools to stay informed and prevent disasters.
Between 2022 and 2023, California experienced more than a dozen atmospheric rivers, affecting nearly every community in the state, but for the 2023-2024 rainy season, there is a 75 percent chance of a strong El Niño occurring.
This is why it is necessary to stay informed in order to prevent and know how to act in the face of a risk caused by a natural phenomenon, having a specific plan that can make a difference in these cases, said Diana Crofts-Pelayo, Deputy Director of Crisis Communication and Affairs, during a conference held by Ethnic Media Services.
To prepare for this season, he recommended registering on the website https://www.listoscalifornia.org/alerts/ where people will be able to receive alert information, depending on their county, regarding a risk of rain, flooding or strong winds.
Diana Crofts-Pelayo explained that if a storm, rain or a specific phenomenon occurs, through this system, those registered will receive a notification on their cell phone by text message or phone call, letting them know that there is a weather alert.
She also recommended having a family emergency plan, for example: establishing a meeting point for when you are away from home, as well as important things that must be on hand, whether it be documents, medicines, food or water.
"Being able to depend on each other will help us overcome any climate catastrophe.”, added Diana Crofts-Pelayo.
Bianca Feldkircher of the National Weather Service spoke about the La Niña and El Niño weather phenomena, which are affecting the climate, making it colder and wetter.
El Niño is a climatic phenomenon related to global warming, specifically in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, which manifests itself cyclically. It consists of the warm phase of the climatic pattern of the equatorial Pacific, where the cooling phase is called La Niña.
El Niño warms the atmosphere, causing common patterns circulating around the world to shift, especially the jet stream over the Pacific, dumping more intense storms especially in the western U.S., with California being the hardest hit state.
This phenomenon has caused severe flooding in eastern parts of Africa, as well as causing water-borne diseases and, in some other parts, severe droughts causing food shortages, and it also influences cyclone seasons around the world.
Heavy rain is expected in California, but it is not possible to pinpoint the exact amount of rain. Therefore, we are asking to be vigilant, as there is also a brief risk of strong winds and a lot of snow in the western area, specifically between December 14 and 17, although there is an 80 percent certainty, so there is also a risk that it will not occur.
Jazmin Ortega, deputy press secretary for the California Department of Insurance, said that many people feel bad about seeing their homes damaged, but not all is lost, as the Department of Insurance can help families with unforeseen events that often occur due to the weather.
Ortega recommended having all the necessary information on hand in case of such unforeseen events, as well as your policy number (even digitally) to be able to review the coverage and restrictions.
If you have any questions about your type of policy and its coverage, it is recommended to contact insurance agents, as it is not good to wait until you have a problem and trust without having complete information; for this you can access www.insurace.ca.gov or call 800 927 4357.
"Generally, a home insurance policy does not cover landslides when branches or things fall, nor flood damage, which is why they are asked to access a program for weather cases.”, added Jasmine Ortega.
People are expected to be prepared to take care of their homes and cars in case of an accident, since these can be protected against storms, wind or floods, although everything depends on the type of policy purchased.
For the immigrant community, it is important to highlight that they are not asked for documents proving nationality, nor anything that could put their stay in the country at risk, said Ortega, while clarifying that whoever needs it can come to request information and support without fear of being deported, since their privacy is respected.
Work is being done to ensure that more people stay informed and manage to prevent natural disasters that can reach California in time. For more information, those interested can visit the site https://www.listoscalifornia.org/stormseason/, with information before and after a natural phenomenon in 13 different languages.
A basic course has also been implemented to keep informed about possible floods, through text messages for mobile phones, a tool that is accessible to anyone and very easy to access.
Alf LaMont, CEO and chief digital strategist at LaMont Digital, said a comprehensive social media information kit has been created to make it accessible to everyone, and is currently working on flooding and storms.
"The goal is to encourage the community to be the messengers themselves, and all of these things will be available in multiple languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, and much more.”, commented Alf LaMont.
He highlighted that Cal OES has a wide variety of kits designed for 2023, however, those from other years can be consulted, “the objective is to have a greater reach among the community to have more people prepared and to be able to avoid regrettable consequences.”
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