Cities across the Central Coast are preparing for a big winter storm.
In the City of Paso Robles, residents and city crews are taking measures to ensure people stay safe.
Sandbags are set up in downtown areas where city crews say it will likely flood.
Residents are also preparing before the storm hits.
"We end up with water that comes into our garage and then you know, depending on what's in there, then you can have a problem,” said Paso Robles resident Chris Bruce-Aijian.
"I have pathways that are on a hill and I am trying to protect it from erosion which on heavy rains it will wash out,” said resident Bill Sisler.
"We've been preparing, doing some extra street sweeping. Our stormwater and wastewater crews have been working on clearing out some of the storms drain inlets in our stormwater features,” said Kirk Gonzalez, Paso Robles Water Resources and Streets Interim Manager.
Paso Robles has also ramped up staff to be available during the day and night to respond to emergency conditions if needed.
Street closures along South River Road have also been planned due to flooding and mudslides during past storms.
"So for those, we are planning in advance because we know that there's most likely going to be issues on South River Road. We are planning in advance to close that tonight and will continue to monitor North River Road and close it if needed,” Gonzalez said.
Aijian says she hopes all the sandbags she picked up Tuesday will help.
“Sandbags will, well, we hope. Yes, the sandbags should help divert that water at least from coming into my garage,” Aijian said.
City officials said they will continue to keep monitoring areas across the city to ensure there are no safety hazards for residents. They are also asking people to avoid crossing moving water.
