San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a local emergency on Friday, Oct. 23, so city departments can move faster to prepare for El Niño storms and coastal flooding this winter.
Why it matters: The National Weather Service's Oct. 15 outlook favors a wetter-than-normal December through February, the mayor's office said, and the declaration lets the city stock up before storms arrive.
What the declaration does
- It waives certain city contracting rules so departments can quickly buy flood barriers, pumps and generators, plus first-aid and shelter supplies and portable restrooms, the mayor's office said.
- The faster buying applies to Public Works, the SFPUC, the Port, SFMTA, Rec and Park, San Francisco International Airport and the Office of Contract Administration.
- It puts city government under the Incident Command System and lets the mayor move money within and between departments to meet the emergency.
What Lurie said
"Today, I am declaring a local emergency to ensure San Francisco is ready for the severe storms, flooding, and high tides that El Niño could bring this winter," Lurie said. "The time to prepare for a major storm is before it arrives."
What departments are doing
- Public Works is stocking sandbags and readying crews for fallen trees and drainage problems.
- Rec and Park will keep tree and heavy-equipment crews on standby from November through mid-April.
The city is urging residents to sign up for AlertSF and prepare their homes now. Santa Clara County water officials made a similar move this week: Valley Water's El Niño emergency declaration.