WeatherWednesday, November 11
San Jose declares a state of emergency ahead of El Niño
The SJtoday team
If you've been eyeing the forecast, the city has too. The San Jose City Council declared a state of emergency ahead of El Niño, which lets the city activate resources and preparedness efforts before storms arrive.
“It's a matter of getting ahead of the situation, rather than being behind it.”
Cal Fire, the Red Cross, PG&E and the city's emergency office met Tuesday. Nobody knows yet when or how big the storms will be. Cal Fire Unit Chief Marcus Hernandez said the South Bay did not see any big fires this summer that could have created burn scars. PG&E meteorologists said the region had 15 atmospheric rivers in a two-and-a-half month period in 2023.
15atmospheric rivers in a two-and-a-half month stretch in 2023
PG&E meteorologists gave the count, and officials at the roundtable pointed to the 2023 season as a lesson.
Sources: ABC7 Bay Area, NBC Bay Area
- City response levels: 1, 2 or 3, with 24-hour staffing
- PG&E forecasting: four days and 10 days out
- Red Cross: says volunteers will be critical
Four agencies are preparing for El Niño in their own ways
| Agency | What it said |
|---|---|
| San Jose Office of Emergency Management | Response plans for major departments |
| PG&E | Crews and resources staged for outages |
| Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit | No big South Bay fires this summer |
| Red Cross | Volunteers will be critical |
Sources: ABC7 Bay Area, NBC Bay Area
Sources: ABC7 Bay Area, NBC Bay Area