Preparation Pays Off in Season’s First Big Storm

The extensive and expensive precautions taken over recent months to avert El Nino storm damage were worth every ounce of effort. Although the deluge of Friday and Saturday was record-setting in some places, most governments and many citizens were relatively well prepared. There are still some lessons to be learned, however, before the next storm.

As storms go, this was a strong one, but experts say it might have been part of a normal weather pattern and unrelated to El Nino. As much as 10 inches of rain was dumped on the high ground in Ventura County, and Orange County’s seven inches ending Saturday was heavier than in any previous recorded 24-hour period. Orange County took the brunt of the storm, with shops and offices flooded in Laguna Beach and elsewhere. Most other areas reported minor damage, scattered rock falls and mudslides and occasional street closings. There were few injuries.

The preparations appeared unprecedented. Sand berms built with bulldozers were evident on beaches from Oxnard to Seal Beach and beyond. Los Angeles County officials passed out 50,000 sandbags to residents. There was even a sand giveaway at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Hotlines to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and municipal and county offices offered information on everything from flood insurance to evacuation plans. Clearing of the region’s 70,000 catch basins and 2,900 miles of open flood channels and underground storm drains, though not completed, was well underway when the rains came.

The news was not all good. Those who suffered the most were the poor residents of the most vulnerable areas. This is a population that tends to be resigned to flood risks and unlikely to seek out preventive help, and that presents a problem for elected officials and community leaders.

More than 400 people were flooded out of three mobile home parks along the coast in Huntington Beach. Residents who live in the Los Angeles Basin flood plain may face a similar fate in some future deluge.

For weeks, FEMA has stressed the importance of buying flood insurance, available now for premiums lower than ever for residents facing severe flood risks. Holding workshops and meetings is a fine idea, but it’s apparent that local leaders will have to go door to door to reach those who face the highest risk of literally being washed away.