El Nino Is Here
I love living in Roseville CA. Even with our California Drought and Weather situation the past few years! And yes, I have been looking forward to El Nino and the rain it was anticipated to bring. Well, El Nino has arrived! Noisily, wetly, snowily, heavy! BUT also, off and on! That’s a VERY good thing. If it was non-stop steady rain for days on end, THAT would/could be a concern.
Then the ground wouldn’t have time to soak up one batch of rain before another arrives. And then the concerns for flooding would start overweighing the joys of all the rain fighting our long-running California drought here in the Roseville Sacramento area and beyond. So far, it’s been great! A day or two of rain, then a day off – like today. Tomorrow, we expect more, but in the next day or two there will hopefully be another break. Needless to say, I’m praying for this pattern to continue all season long! I’ve seen an article or two that hints El Nino may have already peaked. Only time will tell. But, being a person who likes to be prepared, I thought I would share some useful info in case the rain becomes a bit more! Information and resources like the history of flooding in our Sacramento Roseville area, flood monitoring websites, weather resources, and how to prepare for possible flooding. That’s useful information to have even if it’s NOT an El Nino year. 🙂
Flood and El Nino History for Roseville and Greater Sacramento CA Area
First a bit of history – both personal and area-wise. We moved here in late 1994. In 1995, our Sacramento area experienced days of major rainfall which led to flooding in many areas . We were shocked, but as the video above wisely points out, ANYONE and ANY AREA can experience flooding! Over 300 homes in Roseville CA were flooded.
It was bad enough that after it was over the President of the United States flew in to survey the damage. Many discovered that when flood insurance is optional, too many people do not get it who perhaps should. Our city has a great rain-measuring site that played on the cable channel non-stop during the rain. Yes, I was one of many who was frequently glued to that channel. Here are some interesting links to give you all sorts of information about the flooding we experienced in Roseville and the great Sacramento area as well as some of the history and plans for our lovely creeks that meander so beautifully throughout Roseville (the dates at the end of some of the titles refer to the publication date):
- Wikipedia – Dry Creek – Sacramento River – “Dry Creek (formerly called Linda Creek) is a 15-mile (24 km) long stream in Placer County and Sacramento County, California, USA, tributary to the Sacramento River. Its watershed lies within the Sacramento Valley. Because suburban development borders much of its length, the stream is noted for its capacity to cause local flooding and as a recreational attraction.”
- Clinton visits state flood victims – 1995
- The Dry Creek Parkway Recreation Master Plan December, 2003
- When drought isn’t the problem – 2008 – Did you know that Sacramento is second only to New Orleans when it comes to risk of flooding! The race is on to boost defenses. 2008 (And in case you are wondering – per Wikipedia, Sacramento’s elevation is 30 ft (9 miles). Roseville’s elevation is 164 ft (50 miles).)
- Roseville learned hard lesson from flood – 2011
- City says Roseville’s flood protection passed recent test 2012
- Roseville Praises Preventative Measures For Lessened Residential Flooding 2012
- Sacramento has long history of floods – 2014
- Back in the Day: President Clinton Visits Soggy Rio Linda – 2014
- The Floods of January 1995, in the Dry Creek Watershed, Placer County California
- Dennis Huff – fascinating retelling of the 1995 flood in Roseville
- The 1997-1998 El Nino Event
- Experts Say California May See Stronger El Nino Than 1997-1998 – 2015
Resources Dealing with Flooding in the Sacramento – Roseville CA Area
Here are some of the resources available to learn about or even monitor what’s happening in our area. The first item on the list – Roseville Flood Alert System is the online version of what I used to watch on cable TV. You can see it in the graphic above from my Pinterest board Natural Disasters – it’s in the the top row, the middle picture. 🙂
The next two items – Flood Management for Placer and Sacramento Counties – are from the “California Department of Water Resources (DWR) which has updated the Best Available Maps to display the latest floodplains in a web viewer located at http://gis.bam.water.ca.gov/bam. With this viewer, DWR has expanded the floodplains to cover all counties in the State and to include 500-year floodplains.” You can view the 100-year, 200-year, and 500-year floodplains using their viewer. It allows you to view a particular area, identify their potential flood hazards, and even print a floodplain map.
- Roseville Flood Alert System
- The Roseville CA Flood Warning Response and Notification (Which includes an explanation of the above listed Roseville Flood Alert System)
- Sacramento County Flood Levels and Resources
- Sacramento – Storm Ready
- Flood Management – Placer County
- Flood Management – Sacramento County
- FEMA – Flood Map Service Center
Know Your Line – National Flood Awareness Program
- “Know Your Line” – Signs in Roseville CA
- Sacramento and Roseville Post High Water Mark Signs as part of the Know Your Line Flood Awareness Program
- High Water Marks and More – California working on flood preparation
Preparing for Flooding
Could the Folsom Dam impact Roseville CA in the event of a dam failure? That concern does exist. The City of Roseville has a plan in place dealing with it. You can read it by clicking here. In the meantime, being prepared for a natural (or unnatural) disaster is ALWAYS wise – be it earthquake, fires, floods, zombies, etc. (Yes, I admit it. I’m NOT a big zombie fan but I DO love the CDC zombie prep campaign as it’s a fun way to remind everyone to get prepared for anything. 🙂
- UPDATED 1-6-16 – List of Storm Preparation and/or Sandbag Locations in Placer County
- UPDATED 1-6-16 – Roseville CA – What to Do Before, After, and During a Flood
- Roseville CA stream levels
- UPDATED 1-6-16 – Sandbags – Roseville CA – When creeks are expected to reach levels that could flood homes, the City will provide sandbags and sand free of charge
- UPDATED 1-6-16 Rocklin CA Storm Readiness (including sand bag info)
- UPDATED 1-6-16 CBS Storm Resources for Sacramento Area including river level links
- UPDATED 1-6-16 CBS List of Sand Bag Resources in Sacramento and Placer County
- Flood Resources for Sacramento County
- Flood Prepare California
- The Coming Deluge – 2007 – a bit more history along with step-by-step preparations in case of flooding.
- Red Cross – Flood Safety / Flood Preparation
- FEMA – How to Prepare for a Flood
- FEMA Flood Map Service Center
- ARMY – ReadyArmy – Flood
- CDC – Key Facts About Flood Readiness
- Ready.gov – Floods
- FloodSmart.gov – Before A Flood
- How To Prepare for a Flood
- Department of Fire and Emergency Services – Prepare for Flooding
Flood Insurance
Flood insurance can definitely be wise whether you have an old historic home, a newer home, or even one of the many lovely new construction homes in our area. Every year homes get flooded all around the country and the consistent themes we often hear, “we weren’t in a flood zone” and “we never thought it could happen to us.” Do I have flood insurance? Not currently. But I’m definitely checking into it after researching all this. 😉 Click here to read the basic facts about flood insurance, including the important point that most of the time there is a 30-day waiting period before it takes effect! And take a look at this interactive video to help you calculate the costs. It was definitely an eye-opener! The photo below shows the estimate costs if a 2,000 square foot home has a 3 inch flood. CLICK HERE or on the picture to go to the actual calculator and try your own specifications.
- FEMA – National Flood Insurance Program
- Floodsmart.gov – Flood Insurance
- Flood Insurance – The Hardford
Flood Preparation and Special Needs – Elderly
12 Tips to Prepare the Elderly for Disasters
Flood Preparation and Special Needs – Children
West Sacramento has a great little video of their flood preparation last year along with a really cute online game. And it ain’t a “piece of cake!” 🙂 The first part requires clicking only the yellow pages to fill their emergency binder. It’s not as easy as it seems. But it is fun. Second step – pack a go bag (those are not just for cute dogs 😉 ). Again, it was a challenge. HINT – don’t overlap items like socks. Third – is a Tretris-style game which I have ALWAYS been bad at and this was no exception. But I’m betting several of my grandkids could figure it out eventually. Your children and grandchildren can have fun with this AND be learning important flood and other disaster preparation tips at the same time.
- Extreme Weather – Talk to Children about Floods
- Disaster Prep – Games for Kids
- Weather Wiz Kids – Flood Safety
- Sesame Street – Let’s Get Ready
- Flood Tips for Kids – What To Do After a Flood
Flood Preparation and Special Needs – Pets
I put my cute dog picture with his little “Go-Bag” to work again with these Cal OES evacuation tips for pet owners. Many of these tips are true for more than just a flood.
Here are more great tips and resources to help keep your beloved pets safe in the event of a El Nino flood or other disaster.
- Make a Disaster Plan for Your Pets – How to keep pets safe in natural disasters and everyday emergencies
- Natural Disaster Planning for Pets – PetMD
- After the Flood, Be Sure to Check for Facebook Help in Locating People and/or Pets
- Floodsmart.gov – Flood Preparedness for Pets
- Red Cross – Pet and Disaster Safety
The Roseville Sacramento Area is GREAT
WHEW! That’s a LOT of resources. AND that’s another reason I LOVE living in the Roseville Sacramento area of California. We are blessed with many proactive agencies staffed with great people who are working hard to help us stay safe in the event of an emergency. For example, “The National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP’s) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes communities for implementing floodplain management practices that exceed the Federal minimum requirements of the NFIP to provide protection from flooding.” I am SO PROUD of ROSEVILLE CA!!! They were the FIRST to achieve the CRS Class 1 Community. Not only that… “More than 1,200 communities from all 50 states participate in the Community Rating System (CRS). As of Fall, 2015, ROSEVILLE, CA is the ONLY CRS Class 1 community. More than 70 communities have a CRS Class 5 or better ranking, meaning premiums for residents in high-risk areas are reduced by at least 25 percent.” KUDOS to Roseville CA for their hard work on this AND that it saves us money!
Of course, we hope no disasters will ever happen from El Nino or any other cause. But the reality is, emergencies can happen ANYWHERE at ANYTIME. So it’s always good to be prepared. But the really nice thing is that, in general, we live in a great area with a lot fewer disasters than most places. Earthquakes are rare here. Floods are usually isolated. Tornados are also rare and usually pretty small. I have never seen a hurricane here. 🙂 In fact, most of the not-so-fun happenings are in isolated areas. Even our flooding in 1995 was in a few specific neighborhoods – not the whole cities. So again, let’s be prepared. But aren’t we glad we can all enjoy this beautiful area, full of intriguing walking trails, fun parks, great neighbors, lovely vistas, and YES, those delightful streams and creeks.
Kaye
