Follow-up: Newsom Slams Federal Disaster Retreat as California Stages 6.2 Million Sandbags at 70 Sites Ahead of El Niño Storms
SACRAMENTO — California Governor Gavin Newsom on October 21, during California Flood Preparedness Week, condemned the Trump administration's retreat from federal disaster support, saying states are being told they are on their own when disaster strikes. The Governor's office also released updated preparedness figures: building on the Governor's September statewide emergency proclamation, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) have positioned flood-fighting materials at 70 locations statewide, including 6.2 million sandbags, more than 52,000 feet of portable flood barriers, and 400,000 tons of rock for emergency levee repairs.
In his statement, Newsom said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) exists to help people before, during, and after disasters, while the Trump administration is telling states to fend for themselves. "When disaster strikes, Americans help one another regardless of politics. California is doing its job. It's time for President Trump to do his," Newsom said.
The work also includes flood-infrastructure inspections: each fall, crews inspect all 1,600 miles of levees in the State Plan of Flood Control system and prepare bypasses, weirs, and other flood-control structures. DWR is coordinating with cities, counties, and other partners through regional preparedness workshops, technical assistance, and engineering guidance, while Cal OES supports coordination and reviews dam emergency action plans to protect downstream communities. Cal OES Director Caroline Thomas Jacobs called Flood Preparedness Week a call to action to protect Californians before flooding puts lives at risk. DWR Director Tom Gibson said the strong El Niño conditions now developing make preparation more important than ever.
Compared with the figures released when Flood Preparedness Week opened on October 19, staging locations have risen from 68 to 70 and staged sandbags from 4.4 million to 6.2 million, with the portable-barrier figure published for the first time. State officials note that El Niño often brings more frequent and intense storms over California, producing dangerous flooding, landslides, debris flows, and coastal erosion, with communities near recent wildfire burn scars at particular risk. Cal OES preparedness guidance advises residents to sign up for local emergency alerts, check their flood risk with the MyHazards tool, keep an evacuation plan ready, and never drive through floodwater.
California Flood Preparedness Week opens as DWR urges residents to prepare for an El Niño winter
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：加州 Delta 地区堤防沙袋加固作业（资料图）。照片：加州惩教部（CDCR）官方发布。 / Crews place sandbags along a levee in California's Delta region (file photo). Photo: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), official release.
- 2026-10-19As Flood Preparedness Week Begins, DWR Urges Californians to Prepare for an El Niño-Driven Winter
- 2026-10-21Follow-up: Newsom Slams Federal Disaster Retreat as California Stages 6.2 Million Sandbags at 70 Sites Ahead of El Niño StormsThis story
