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 rain, strong winds and flooding. Given this, experts make a strong call to use all 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, however, the 2023-2024 rainy season is projected to have a 75 percent chance of a strong El Niño phenomenon.
That is why it is necessary to stay informed 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 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, in the event of a risk of rain, flooding or strong winds.
Diana Crofts-Pelayo explained that if a storm, rain or a specific phenomenon occurs, through said system, those registered will be sent a notification to their cell phone by a text message or a phone call, letting them know. that there is a weather alert.
Likewise, he recommended having a family emergency plan, for example: establishing a meeting point for when they are away from home, as well as important things that must be on hand, whether documents, medications, food or water.
?Being able to depend on each other will help us overcome any climate catastrophe?, Diana Crofts-Pelayo added.
Bianca Feldkircher, from the National Weather Service, spoke about the La Niña and El Niño weather phenomenon, which is affecting the climate, making it colder and wetter.
El Niño is a climatic phenomenon related to global warming, specifically in the equatorial eastern Pacific Ocean, which manifests itself cyclically. This consists of the warm phase of the equatorial Pacific climate pattern, where the cooling phase is called La Niña.
El Niño warms the atmosphere, causing common patterns circulating in the world to modify, especially the jet stream over the Pacific, throwing more intense storms especially in the western United States, with California being the most affected state.
This phenomenon has caused heavy flooding in eastern sections of Africa, in addition to causing diseases transmitted by water movement and, in some other parts, severe droughts that cause food shortages, it also influences cyclone seasons in the world.
For California, heavy rains are expected, although they cannot be specified exactly; That is why we ask you to be attentive, as there is also a brief risk of having strong winds and a lot of snow in the western area specifically between December 14 and 17, although there is 80 percent security, so There is also a risk that it will not happen.
Jazmin Ortega, deputy press secretary of the California Department of Insurance, commented that many people feel bad about seeing their homes damaged, however not all is lost, as this is when the Department of Insurance can support families with those unforeseen events that occur. They usually occur due to the weather.
Ortega recommended having all the necessary information on hand in case of these 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 approach insurance agents, as it is not good to wait until you have a problem and trust yourself without having complete information; For this you can access www.insurace.ca.gov or call 800 927 4357.
?Generally, a home policy does not cover landslides when branches or things fall, nor flood damage, which is why they are asked to access a weather program.?added Jazmin Ortega.
The aim is for people to be prepared to take care of their homes and cars, in case they have an accident, since these can have protection from storms, air or floods, although it all depends on the type of policy that has been purchased.
For the immigrant community, it is important to highlight that they are not asked for documents that prove nationality, or anything that could put their stay in the country at risk, said Ortega, while clarifying that anyone who 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 may reach California in time. For more information, those interested can visit the site https://www.listoscalifornia.org/stormseason/, with information for before and after a natural phenomenon in 13 different languages.
A basic course has also been implemented to stay informed about possible floods, through text messages for the mobile phone, a tool within the reach of anyone and very easy to access.
Alf LaMont, CEO and chief digital strategist of LaMont Digital, said that an entire information kit for social networks has been created with the aim of making it accessible to everyone; At the moment we are working on the issue of floods and storms.
?The goal is to encourage the community to be the messengers themselves, and all of these things will be available in several 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 warned and be able to avoid unfortunate consequences."
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