Flood watch issued for San Joaquin County through Dec. 26
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for San Joaquin County until December 26, the day after Christmas.
The county's Office of Emergency Services wants residents to be aware that this storm is reminiscent of the 2022-23 flood, but wants to reassure them that it's still different, not like the major one that flooded out mobile home communities, and they're looking at about 4-6 inches of rain across the span of a week.
"We've learned from previous storms that preparedness takes the whole community," Kia Xiong, San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services public information officer, told CBS Sacramento. "It takes all of us. Not just government agencies, but everyone, including law enforcement agencies, the government, fire, EMS, and the public being ready for whatever may come their way. And that includes, 'Hey, if you have time now to go out and rake those leaves from your yard and drains, do it now. And, again, really important is just to sign up for SJ Ready alerts, and make those emergency plans and, and building out those emergency supply kits."
They also want people to be aware that heavy rain and gusty winds can lead to dangerous driving conditions and localized roadway flooding and ponding. Xiong encourages the community to drive slowly when those conditions arise and plan to leave earlier.
"Protecting your family should be your number one priority, and that starts with preparedness," Xiong said. "Especially for winter weather, rain, storms, we want to make sure that you're prepared."
You can keep your family prepared with three steps, Xiong said, by signing up for San Joaquin ready alerts on sjready.org or by texting sjstorms to 888777, making plans, and building emergency kits. More information on these steps is on their website.
Xiong said they expect the storm to affect more northern parts of San Joaquin County and they want communities along the rivers and waterways to make sure they're prepared. For anyone whose trailer home was affected by the major 2022 flood, there may be grants available to help you, according to a November San Joaquin County press release for the grants, which states the following:
The Manufactured Home Replacement and Elevation (MHRE) Program provides critical support to community members impacted by the December 2022 through early January 2023 floods. The program offers grants to help eligible mobile homeowners in San Joaquin County replace and elevate manufactured or mobile home units that were damaged or destroyed...
Grants of up to $500,000 per unit are available to help families rebuild safer, elevated homes, reduce the risk of future flooding, and ensure access to stable, secure housing. By encouraging our community to invest in mitigation and rebuilding now, San Joaquin County is working to reduce the impacts of future flood disasters and ensure that vulnerable communities are better prepared.
"They can apply through Self-Help Enterprises. They are the subrecipient through that grant," Xiong said.
There are also sandbag locations and warming centers in place throughout the county.
The Office of Emergency Services' (OES) operations are run out of the Robert J. Cabral Agricultural Center.
"At the heart of OES is community service," Xiong said. "You are going to find that everyone in this office truly cares about the community because, one, we all, most of us, are from this community. So, we want to make sure that they're safe and safety is always going to be our top priority and making sure that they have those emergency resources and services should the need arise…it's so important that we focus on our community, making sure messaging is out, that the community is aware of what is coming their way."