County of Monterey Works to Protect Life, Property during Major Rainstorm; Residents Urged to take Precautions for Next Storm; County Crews Worked Ahead of the Storm to Reduce Risks and are Preparing for Next Weather Event

 

County of Monterey staff and departments have been working around the clock on clean-up

efforts resulting from the recent storm. The weather event our area experienced, known as an

atmospheric river, produced a tremendous amount of rain in a short period of time, especially in

some localized areas.

Storm Preparation

In anticipation of the storm season, the Department of Public Works, Facilities and Parks and the

Monterey County Water Resources Agency were proactive in taking preemptive measures,

including pre-winter storm inspections of culverts in the County's service area, cleaning of

culverts, pre-winter storm street sweeping in urbanized areas and pre-positioning tens of

thousands of sand sandbags and tons of sand in typically impacted areas throughout the County.

The County in concert with the National Weather Service, issued multiple advisories and alerts

to help residents prepare for this weather event.

During the Storm

During the storm event on Tuesday, December 27 the County's Department of Public Works and Water Resources

Agency deployed resources and personnel to multiple locations throughout the county, delivering

sand, and sandbags to numerous low-lying areas. This included locations in Prunedale,

Castroville, Carmel, South County, and the surrounding Salinas area.

"This has been an around-the-clock effort," said Randy Ishii, Director of Public Works, Facilities and Parks

Hecontinued, "Our teams worked tirelessly in hazardous situations to protect residents and

environmental resources."

Some of the major efforts taken on December 27 to protect life and property included Carmel River

Lagoon interim sandbar management, multiple precautionary County road closures, sand and

sandbag delivery, and coordination with other local agency resources. The County Water

Resources Agency is monitoring local river levels. The Pajaro River for example, is significantly

impacted by stormy weather which can close critical roads as well as cause flooding. Drainage

improvements along the river done by the county last summer have helped to alleviate localized

flooding in Pajaro.

What is Happening Now

The County is constantly assessing the updating the public on road closures. Earlier road

closures in North Salinas area including Denner Road, Paul Avenue, Rogge Road, and England

Avenue in the Bolsa Knolls area are now open. Culverts under the roads will be cleaned again as

a precautionary measure. Silt remains on the road and cleanup will be happening throughout the

day, motorists are asked to use caution when driving in areas that have been flooded. The County

has enlisted the help of on-call private contractors to help expedite the clean-up efforts in this

and other areas.

County teams, including Monterey County Water Resources Agency, are actively engaged in

active storm monitoring, performing further assessments and taking appropriate measures to

prepare for the additional rains. This includes ongoing clearing and inspections of County

maintained culverts and the preposition of additional tens of thousands and sandbags for

residents.

Homeowners are encouraged to take advantage of this break in the weather to stock up on and

place sandbags around their properties especially in areas immediately adjacent to natural water

courses such as rivers and streams.