City of San Luis Obispo Prepares for El Nino
The City of San Luis Obispo prepares year-round for the return of the rainy season regardless of what’s predicted, including the recently dubbed “Bruce Lee” or “Godzilla” of El Nino weather patterns.
But the city acknowledges too much rain in a short period of time can pose problems.
Despite four years of drought, the San Luis Obispo Creek is far from dry but it’sa far cry from what it can be during a typical rainy season, let alone a major weather event like an El Nino.
“The water it just fills up and floods”, says AJ Fewell with Novo Restaurant which has a popular patio overlooking San Luis Creek, “I heard it got pretty high, I heard in the 1990’s it got pretty close to coming as high as our patio is.”
The watershed creek runs right through the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo and has proven to be dangerous over the years during the rainy season for those who don’t respect its powerful current and unpredictable conditions.
“We try to be prepared every year for what she’s ready to give us”, says SLO Deputy Public Works Director Barbara Lynch who oversees engineering and maintenance in the city.
Lynch says the predicted El Nino weather event has put a priority on flood control measures throughout the city.
“Actually year round we are cleaning drains and the pipe system so that there isn’t debris and trash and other things clogging the drain system”, Lynch says, “you don’t want to have flooding simply because there was something stuck in there.”
Lynch says the City of San Luis Obispo is encouraging all property owners to get prepared for the possibility of heavy, El Nino-related rains by removing dead or dying trees and limbs, clearing out rain gutters and removing debris from storm drains.
“I think they should be informing the people definitely as to what the consequences of that could be and what we can do to help prepare in case that does happen”, says local singer and San Luis Obispo Creek lover Amaris Taylor.
“I am reading up on it, you can’t miss it, its all over Facebook”, adds AJ Fewell of Novo Cafe, “you see on Facebook and any social media it talks about the El Nino, the Godzilla El Nino, worst in 50 years.”
