San José is increasing preparations for what forecasters describe as a “very strong” El Niño, predicted to be potentially historic. These efforts aim to prevent a major flood event similar to the 2017 Coyote Creek flood, which prompted mass evacuations. Mayor Matt Mahan stated the city feels prepared, emphasizing lessons learned from the previous flood. The natural climate pattern continues to strengthen, with forecasters predicting impacts across the California coast, including El Niño-driven flooding, mudslides, and power outages for the region.
City staff is monitoring dozens of historical flooding sites. The Transportation Department recently held a storm coordination meeting to review emergency response procedures, which include upgraded public safety measures thanks to the passage of a 2018 bond measure. Communication between the city and the Santa Clara Valley Water District has increased since the 2017 Coyote Creek flood. Mayor Mahan highlighted that a San José voter-passed initiative, Measure T, helped the city expand water catchment basins, upgrade its emergency operations center, improve roadways, and its 911 system.
The Climate Protection Center, an arm of the National Weather Service, reported earlier this month that El Niño has continued to intensify. Chances “remain high” that this event could be stronger than any seen worldwide since 1950. The center projects an 83% chance for a historic event from October through December. Counties in the broader Bay Area, such as Marin and San Francisco, have also begun preparing for the anticipated effects, cleaning drains and planning for significant rainfall.
The city’s heightened preparedness follows the 2017 Coyote Creek flood, an event that displaced thousands and forced 14,000 evacuations. The flood incurred approximately $100 million in damages, leading the city to grade itself an ‘F’ in emergency preparedness at the time. Mayor Mahan referred to these as “hard lessons” from the 2017 incident. Residents filed a lawsuit post-event, alleging insufficient emergency preparedness notifications and inadequate dam maintenance, which was later settled. In recent years, San José has also experienced heavy rains from events like atmospheric rivers, causing minimal flooding and fallen trees.
Valley Water has also stepped up its preparedness efforts, completing over 8,000 feet of flood walls along Coyote Creek. The agency was recently awarded a $100 million contract for the next phase of flood protection improvement. Mayor Mahan noted that Valley Water is “steadily investing in the waterways that they oversee and reducing flood risk.” The mayor further stated that the City Council will receive an update on the highest-risk flooding locations in the coming weeks, underscoring ongoing vigilance. The city’s current efforts for El Niño specifically focus on locations where flooding has historically occurred, alongside broader citywide prevention strategies.
