Sacramento Prepares for 90% Odds of Very Strong El Niño as Flood Risks Rise

3 articles · Updated · abridged.org · Sep 21

NOAA puts the chance of a “very strong” El Niño above 90%, prompting Sacramento officials to urge residents and businesses to make flood plans and buy coverage early because policies take 30 days to activate.
Sacramento’s risk is unusually high because the region sits where two major rivers meet and depends on levees, dams and bypasses; some levees there stand 20 to 25 feet high to protect dense urban areas.
1,444 miles of county culverts are being cleared and monitored ahead of the rainy season, while levee crews patrol around the clock during major storms and free self-service sandbag sites open each November.
Less than 25% of city residents live in special flood hazard zones, but officials say any property can be exposed if levees are damaged, with smaller creeks and streams often flooding fastest.
2023 floods pushed 47 of California’s 58 counties to declare emergencies and killed at least 28 people, underscoring experts’ warning that El Niño raises odds of a wet winter but does not reliably predict Sacramento’s outcome.