Corbin Farias, with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, explains how they've prepared to stop debris flows in burn scars and respond to rescue calls for flooding.
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00:00Across California, the atmospheric river is bringing several kinds of extreme weather to the state.
00:04Corbin Farias is a public information officer for Cal OES.
00:08That is the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
00:12Thanks so much for joining us, Corbin.
00:14I know it's been a very busy time out there, and you keep kind of an eye on the cross-section
00:18of all sorts of hazards that can impact residents of California.
00:23In Southern California, heavy rains could bring mudslides and rockslides
00:26to areas damaged by the wildfires last month.
00:28How are your teams working to get ahead of any possible damage?
00:33Yes, so since the beginning of the fires, Cal OES has been actively
00:37working to pre-position resources and also get crews out there
00:41to help support communities that have been affected by the LA fires.
00:44One essential element of that is the Cal OES Watershed and Debris Flow Task Force,
00:49and they have laid over 120 miles of emergency protective materials.
00:53These are called compost socks, straw waddles, to help filter out any runoff
00:58from burn structures from entering California waterways, so protecting the environment.
01:03We've also done a lot of work to secure materials like K-rails,
01:06which are kind of used to divert traffic, but we got those for local governments
01:10so that they can use them to divert potential debris flows in burn scarred areas.
01:16And in Northern California today, there are more than 60 reports of flooding so far.
01:20How are your teams responding to these events?
01:24So we have Swift Water Rescue Teams and U.S. Urban Search and Rescue Teams
01:28that are on the ground in Northern California to help protect the people of Northern California.
01:33And also, while the San Francisco and the Bay Area remain under a flood watch until Friday,
01:40these are really important elements that we have already pre-deployed
01:43to help support the community.
01:46And also today, there is heavy snow into the Sierra Nevadas.
01:50Snow not just inches, but feet and feet of this in the highest elevations.
01:53What kind of challenges does this winter weather bring to Cal OES planning?
01:58Yes, so you're right.
02:00Two to five feet of snow above 6,000 feet in our Sierra Nevadas.
02:05And you know, this snowfall is good.
02:07You know, the snow is good for California because it helps our snowpack,
02:11which then helps our water supply.
02:13And so we're looking at this from a measure of how are we going to continue
02:18to secure our water supply.
02:19And then also, it is important to recognize that there is that heavy snow.
02:24And so avoid any unnecessary travel if you are planning to go to the mountains.
02:29And then also, you can look at the Caltrans QuickMap app to see live information
02:34about road closures in the Sierras and all throughout California.
02:38All right.
02:38Corbin Farias with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services.
02:43Corbin, thanks so much for your insight
02:45and all you're doing to keep people in California safe.
02:48Thank you for having me.
02:50Our pleasure.