Flooding in parts of Los Osos is nothing new, in past years, heavy rains have left roads filled with water.
“This is our first storm of the year so it’s a good opportunity for us to see where we might start to have problems or which areas we might see flooding in," said Anita Konopa, Emergency Services Coordinator.
This first rainstorm caused some patches of flooding around town, and with El Niño in play, more rain can be expected soon.
“We do expect it to be quite stormy from time to time," said KSBY Meteorologist Jim Castillo. "Especially during the winter months everyone just needs to be on guard be prepared."
Konopa told KSBY News that crews are already preparing for El Niño-related floods.
“Our crews have been out, they've been cleaning culverts, they’ve been looking in drains they’ve really been doing extra preparations both because it’s that time of year but also with El Niño,” Konopa said.
Castillo added that these first few rains are the beginning of El Niño’s influence.
“We’re also seeing a lot of storms in the Pacific and we just had our first storm of the season definitely a thumbprint to El Niño,” Castillo said.
So, if you come across any unexpected flooding this upcoming El Niño season Konopa says you should report it.
“Please do report that to public works crews either in unincorporated to county public works to your city’s public works crews," Konopa said. "There’s a good chance they’re already aware of it and it’s been reported but there’s a chance they haven’t."
