Reduced storm monitoring<\/p>\n
Due to federal reductions and staffing shortages, the California Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC), a decades-long partnership between California and the National Weather Service (NWS), will be unable to provide the same level of service to California as in previous years.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, CNRFC has provided forecasts every six hours during large storm events. This may be reduced to once daily, limiting the state\u2019s ability to track potential to dangerous shifts in weather.<\/p>\n
Hydrologists and water managers at the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Flood Operations Center and local water agencies rely on these forecasts to monitor impacts from storms and protect downstream communities from flooding. DWR, along with the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES), also use these forecasts to pre-position rescue teams, identify at-risk neighborhoods, and coordinate the safe movement of vulnerable populations before floodwaters become life-threatening.<\/p>\n
Accurate, up-to-date river modeling is critical for first responders \u2014 depriving them of that information increases the\u00a0potential loss of life, and property in flood-prone communities.<\/p>\n
Reduced water storage<\/p>\n
California\u2019s storm season is also a critical time of year when water managers need to capture, move, and store as much water as possible for the dry summer months. As reservoir inflow forecasts from CNFRC become less accurate, that compromises the ability to safely manage reservoirs. Water managers may not be able to effectively move supplies downstream into south-of-Delta reservoirs or groundwater recharge basins. This will mean less water supply come summer for California\u2019s communities in Southern California and the agriculture industry in the Central Valley.<\/p>\n
Federal cuts also threaten key data about California\u2019s snowpack, increasing water management uncertainty and spring flood risk assessment. For example, federal cuts have greatly diminished the ability for federal entities to conduct snow surveys, which tell water managers how much spring runoff may be coming out of the mountains and into our streams, rivers, and reservoirs. The reduction accounts for a third of the state\u2019s manually measured snow courses. This will lead to significantly less accurate water supply forecasts and present challenges for water allocations next year.<\/p>\n
California\u2019s proactive water strategy<\/p>\n
In contrast to the Trump Administration\u2019s inaction, Governor Newsom has advanced efforts to improve and expand California\u2019s water supply \u2013 including through new infrastructure and water storage \u2013 and to prepare the state for flooding. This week, the Governor announced early, proactive efforts to pre-deploy specialized emergency response crews<\/a> to help protect communities in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and Santa Barbara counties. DWR has also pre-positioned flood-fighting materials across 33 counties including 4.3 million sandbags and 191 containers full of flood-fighting supplies needed to help protect communities from damaging flood waters.<\/p>\n In August, California committed an additional $219 million to the Sites Reservoir project. Sites Reservoir is a key component of the Governor\u2019s water strategy<\/a> and will capture water from the Sacramento River during wet seasons and store it for use during drier seasons \u2013 holding up to 1.5 million acre-feet of water, enough to supply over 4.5 million homes for a year. The project will help California maintain a resilient water supply in the face of climate change, weather extremes, and water scarcity.<\/p>\n In addition to surface water storage, the Newsom Administration is improving California\u2019s underground water storage<\/a>. Data from DWR confirms that the state\u2019s aquifers are improving year after year thanks to state efforts to capture and store more high flows during winter storms in groundwater basins, expand recharge basins, improve groundwater monitoring, and coordinate among local agencies to reduce groundwater pumping.<\/p>\n Flood Preparedness Flooding in California takes many forms, from slow-rise river flooding in valleys to fast-moving mud slides in Southern California mountains. Each of the state\u2019s 58 counties has experienced at least one significant flood event in the last 25 years, and over one-quarter of the state\u2019s population and a half-trillion dollars in assets are exposed to flood risk. Vulnerable populations bear a disproportionate share of the flood risk.<\/p>\n DWR is working with its local partners to make sure communities are ready. DWR staff are holding over a dozen pre-season meetings across the state to discuss flood response preparations with local agencies and hold table-top exercises to ensure readiness.<\/p>\n DWR continues to lead efforts for long-term flood resilience and keep people safe from floodwaters, with over $2 billion in active flood projects across the state. Learn more at https:\/\/water.ca.gov\/What-We-Do\/Flood-Preparedness<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay alert and be ready<\/p>\n Governor Gavin Newsom urges all Californians to stay alert and take proactive steps to stay safe as heavy rain and flooding impact the state this week. Protect yourself and your loved ones by following these official California safety recommendations:<\/p>\n Sign up for emergency alerts<\/a> and follow instructions from local officials.
\nNext week marks Flood Preparedness Week in California, which brings together state, federal and local agencies to inform residents about risks associated with flooding and how Californians can prepare for flooding.<\/p>\n
\nPrepare an emergency go-bag with essential supplies, water, medication, and important documents. Find a full checklist here<\/a>.
\nStay off the roads whenever possible. If travel is unavoidable, check real-time conditions<\/a> and drive at reduced speeds, avoiding standing water or debris on the roadway.
\nNever walk or drive through floodwaters<\/a>\u2014turn around, don\u2019t drown. Even six inches of moving water can sweep a person off their feet, and as little as one foot can carry a vehicle away.
\nAvoid parking under trees or power lines during high winds or heavy rain, as saturated soil can cause trees to uproot or fall unexpectedly.
\nIf you see a downed power line, always assume it is energized\u2014stay back at least 30 feet and call 9-1-1 or your utility provider.
\nCheck on neighbors, especially older adults or those with disabilities or access and functional needs, to ensure they are safe.
\nStay updated on storm impacts and emergency information at the California Governor\u2019s Office of Emergency Services<\/a> or prepare ahead through Listos California<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Reduced storm monitoring Due to federal reductions and staffing shortages, the California Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC), a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7303,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":{"0":"post-7302","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-california","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-california-headlines","10":"tag-california-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}