The National Weather Service anticipated that hazardous weather conditions would grip San Luis Obispo County from Jan. 4 to late the next morning.
That notice put Jonathan Stornetta, the Paso Robles fire and emergency services chief, on high alert.
“We’re expecting 2 to 4 inches of rain in the valley that includes Paso Robles, 4 to 6 inches in the mountains, and half to 1 inch of rain every hour,” he said before the storm.
Supposed to start around 4 p.m. on Jan. 4, when New Times goes to press, the flood watch was expected to remain in effect until 10 a.m. on Jan. 5. The Weather Service forecasted flooding from excessive rain to be the greatest threat in urban areas and in places near and below the Alisal burn scar in Santa Barbara County.
Paso Robles issued an evacuation warning on Jan. 3 because the Salinas River within city limits is prone to overflowing during powerful storm events.
“It could be 50 to 70 mile per hour winds. If it hits, it’ll be the highest since 1990,” Stornetta said.
The city’s evacuation warning noted that the ground is already saturated with recent rainfall, and winds associated with the upcoming storm could increase the potential for downed trees and power lines. Stornetta advised safe driving and staying away from fallen utility lines and all water crossings. He told New Times that city staff had been preparing since Jan. 1 and has a swift water rescue team ready.
In case of power outages, call PG&E at (800) 743-5002 or visit pge.com for more information on outages in specific areas. The city’s alert requested that residents not call 911 to report them.
Farther south, the Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) was preparing for the storm, too. The unincorporated town is familiar with stormwater runoff and flood control issues. Newly elected board member Charles Varni said that the OCSD provided sandbags to help residents weather the storm. OCSD General Manager Will Clemens told New Times that the district was preparing emergency generators to keep pumps running during possible power outages because it’s responsible for sewer collection and water.
However, most of the storm response in the county’s unincorporated communities lies with SLO County. Joshua Roberts of the county Public Works Department said via email on Jan. 3 that though it doesn’t provide sandbags, residents can collect sand from locations provided in an online resource list at prepareslo.org.
“We’ve been getting ready for storms since the summer—that’s when we start our countywide culvert inspections and cleaning,” Roberts said. “It’s also when we sent sand to the community service districts. Our goal every year is to be ‘winter ready’ by October.”
As of Jan. 4, Public Works was still cleaning up from the previous storm that hit the county in late December. Employees were responding to calls about fallen trees, mud, debris, and flooding from over New Year’s weekend. Residents can keep up with road closures using the online county road map.
Previously closed, Highway 1 from Ragged Point in SLO County to south of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn in Monterey County fully reopened at 8 a.m. on Jan. 3 but was expected to close again on Jan. 4 because of the storm.
Roberts advised the public to call CHP or 911 for emergencies and road hazards. For routine roads maintenance requests, he recommended contacting Public Works (805) 781-5252.
“We have our roads staff standby in anticipation of the coming storm, and we’ve put out signage to mark potential problem areas,” he said. “We continue to inspect and clear culverts where debris might have been washed in from previous rains.” ∆
This article appears in Jan 5-15, 2023.
