State emergency office pre-positions mud and debris flow resources in San Bernardino County ahead of Tropical Storm Rachel
To prepare for possible mud and debris flows from Tropical Storm Rachel, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) announced on Oct. 9 that it is pre-positioning mud and debris flow response resources in San Bernardino County to strengthen local response capabilities.
The deployment to San Bernardino County includes 2 fire engines, 1 hand crew, 1 swift water rescue team, and 35 firefighters, dispatchers and support personnel, covering the period of the storm's passage. The state is also sending 4 fire engines, 1 water tender and 15 firefighters to Mono County for Red Flag fire weather warnings.
Rachel is expected to make landfall across far southern California Saturday night into early Sunday morning and exit the area by Sunday morning. In its wake through early Monday, gusty winds, widespread showers and isolated thunderstorms will continue; areas of excessive rainfall could see urban and flash flooding, while beaches face dangerous surf and rip currents.
Cal OES said pre-positioning resources allows state emergency forces to work with local first responders so sufficient resources are available to handle small incidents before they become major disasters; local officials on the ground will direct staging locations and assignments. Cal OES urges Southern California residents to prepare now: sign up for local emergency alerts, follow guidance from local officials, and check the National Weather Service website for the latest storm information.
The state stresses that the logic of pre-positioning is to put resources ahead of the disaster: brief, intense tropical rainfall can easily trigger mud and debris flows in the mountains, especially on slopes with burn scars, where loosened soil and rock can turn into fast-moving debris flows threatening communities and highways below. Having engines, hand crews and swift water rescue teams in place means emerging threats can be handled immediately before small incidents become major disasters — a standard California practice for tropical cyclone remnants in recent years. Reported from the Cal OES announcement of Oct. 9.
The pre-positioning ran from 8 a.m. on October 11 to 8 a.m. on October 13.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 圣戈尔戈尼奥山脉，CC0（Wikimedia Commons）
