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City of San Luis Obispo preparing for potentially strong El Niño storms

Flickr member Josh Mock

Scientists say a very strong El Niño this winter could batter the Central Coast with incredibly large Pacific storms. The City of San Luis Obispo is already starting to prepare for just such a situation. 

The city takes the same measures every year including checking creeks, cleaning drains, and updating response plans. But with the potential for a lot of rainfall this winter, they want people to know new preparedness plans are intact.

Barbara Lynch is the Deputy Director of the public works department and said downtown San Luis Obispo hasn't flooded in decades, but has the potential to. Buildings in the core are equipped with floodgates to minimize damage.

"It's a very simple mechanism," Lynch said. "You can see a little metal channel on either side of their doorways and they drop those floodgates in there and that keeps the bulk of the water, moving past the building itself, staying in the roadway and sidewalk area."

Lynch said it's important individuals are prepared should the city get hit with severe storms. City workers will be busy dealing with major flood-related issues.