South County hit hard by new round of rainstorms 

Residents and government officials were on high alert for the round of storms that hit the Central Coast from March 10 through 14, eager to avoid a repeat of damages done by the atmospheric rivers in January.

Oceano local Courtney Cain, whose flooded property left her stranded at the beginning of the year, is better prepared now.

"We are stocking up on fresh drinking water," she told New Times on March 13. "I just stocked my pantry with foods that don't require cooking or are easy to prepare without power in case the electricity goes out."

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• File Photo By Jayson Mellom
• BUTTRESS San Luis Obispo County officials repaired the breached south side of the Arroyo Grande Creek levee after early January's storms, installed a notch to allow for drainage, and fixed the gopher holes that riddled the north side in preparation for more storms.

Heavy rainfall earlier in March had left Cain's household without power for 48 hours, she said. No power also means no running water for Cain. Her husband had to hook their fridge up to a generator to keep food cold. Those experiences left her with survival lessons for the storm on March 14.

"We are also going to have a gas can filled as well, and also purchased a propane camp stove to cook on if need be," Cain said. "My husband has a large wood [pile] split and stacked so that we can keep a fire going to heat the house."

The latest downpours did flood her property again but her power didn't go out.

Oceano resident April Dury told New Times that county officials braced for the storm too. She met with SLO County Sheriff's Office Cmdr. Keith Scott on March 10 by the Arroyo Grande Creek levee, which was breached on the south side in January, flooding Oceano.

"He advised me that they were about to let the creek out on purpose," Dury said.

Rachel Dion, SLO County emergency services coordinator, clarified that "to let the creek out" referred to a notch installed on the repaired south side of the levee that allowed for slow drainage into the agricultural fields away from residential and commercial areas. Both Dion and Dury said that the county ensured that the north side of the levee was fortified after discovering gopher holes there.

There were no reported damages to the levee after the March 14 storm.

Overall, Dury said she felt that Oceano's needs were met during the March storms.

"[Fourth District Supervisor] Jimmy Paulding had information for Oceano available to us that was fresh, topical, and bilingual," she said. "In the last two months, we've had more good leadership in Oceano than we've had in the last few months."

With evacuation warnings issued for areas near both the north and south sides of the levee between March 10 and 14, Paulding's office kept South County residents informed through mailers, social media, and a newsletter after getting updates from the county Office of Emergency Services.

"The last storm took us by surprise," Paulding told New Times. "The protocols in place at the county have been strengthened, and communication has improved."

Paulding and his fellow supervisors were racing to finalize a new emergency declaration for SLO County in a special meeting on March 16. The emergency declaration issued by President Joe Biden in January only opens individual assistance for residents struggling with storm damages that occurred from winter storms and flooding that began Dec. 27, 2022, through Jan. 31, 2023. Residents have through March 16 to file aid recovery applications for that time period.

The county is encouraging anyone who experienced damage from the more recent storms to report it to readyslo.org.

"It will determine if the county will qualify for individual assistance for the most recent storm," Paulding spokesperson James Sofranko said. "Storm damage beginning February are not considered under the previous emergency declaration."

Arroyo Grande City Manager Whitney McDonald confirmed that city staff are also trying to document storm damage, especially for impacted residents on Tally Ho Road. A segment of the city that has historically dealt with floods over the years, Tally Ho saw rising water levels once again in March. The city issued an evacuation warning that lasted from 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. on March 14.

"I do believe there were some people on Tally Ho who began replacing drywall [after the January storms] that were maybe in a position to replace again," McDonald said.

She added that the city installed roll-away containers for Tally Ho residents to dispose storm debris, and Arroyo Grande paid to haul that away to landfills. McDonald also visited Lake Lopez on the morning of March 14—a reservoir of high interest for the city because of the local stage 1 drought declaration. A unusually wet winter season filled the reservoir to almost 88 percent capacity as of March 15.

"To go from a drought to over 80 percent full in one season is miraculous," McDonald said. "We were thinking of taking the next step in our water contingency planning and do cutbacks. This season of rain has really saved us."

McDonald said there was still a considerable way to go before a potential spill. Lopez reservoir has only hit capacity 18 times since the dam was built in 1969. It overflowed every year from 1969 to 1987, with the last spill recorded in the 1998 to 1999 winter.

"Even though [the storm] has created damage, which is devastating, at the same time it has created this water source and saved most of the community from additional drastic drought," she said. Δ