Governor Gavin Newsom announced emergency preparations for dangerous El Niño storms while criticizing the Trump administration for abandoning federal disaster support to states. The announcement came during California Flood Preparedness Week as state agencies prepared for anticipated severe weather.
State agencies, under the governor's direction, have positioned emergency supplies 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. Workers are also inspecting the full 1,600 miles of levees in the State Plan of Flood Control system and preparing bypasses and other flood-control structures.
Newsom issued direct criticism of federal disaster policy. "Donald Trump's FEMA has a message for Americans facing disaster: DROP DEAD," Newsom said. "They swore an oath to serve this country and protect the American people. Now they're abandoning FEMA's mission and telling Americans in states across the country to fend for themselves."
El Niño, periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the eastern Pacific Ocean, often brings more frequent and intense storms to California, producing flooding, landslides, debris flows, and erosion. State officials said specific local impacts are unpredictable, but communities near recent wildfire burn scars should be particularly alert because heavy rain can trigger dangerous flooding and debris flows.
The state advised Californians to sign up for local emergency alerts, identify their flood risk using the MyHazards tool, develop evacuation plans, and keep emergency kits ready. Residents should not drive through floodwater, which can be deeper and faster-moving than it appears, officials said.