Sacramento, California - The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) has activated the State Operations Center (SOC) to support local cities and counties impacted by heavy rain, snow and high winds during the next few days across the entire state.
Weather officials say this is one of the strongest storms in years in terms of wind and rain intensity. Several parts of California could see more than six inches of rain and wind gusts above 60 mph.
Emergency managers have been proactively preparing for this powerful storm by monitoring its path, communicating with the National Weather Service, and asking residents to take simple steps to ready their businesses and homes for inclement weather.
"We have been lucky to have a few days of warning as the storm approaches, something that we don't typically get in other disasters," said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci. "This has given us a chance to take steps to minimize potentially disastrous impacts of this storm."
Cal OES is working with local jurisdictions to identify problems or damages as soon as possible and are coordinating the response of state resources as needed. This storm could cause flooding, debris slides, power outages, fallen trees or strand travellers during especially high winds and heavy downpours. The Cal OES Business and Utilities Operations Center is also working with private industry partners to monitor resource demands.
"It's very important that all Californians take this storm seriously and take simple storm preparedness steps, such as reviewing individual and household disaster plans and creating a disaster readiness kit," said Ghilarducci. "Be sure to listen to your local TV or radio station for the latest condition updates, be attentive to warnings and avoid any unnecessary driving in areas prone to flooding."
For more information about this event, and emergency preparedness, please visit http://www.caloes.ca.gov.
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