 Good morning and welcome to Cal OES. We're here today to update you on the upcoming storm event that will impact much of the state of California over the next coming week and the critical actions that we're taking to keep Californians safe. Earlier this morning Governor Newsom was here at the State Operations Center where he signed a declaration, a statewide emergency declaration which provides additional authority and powers to rapidly deploy aid to impacted communities. The governor was clear in his directive to take every available action to keep Californians safe during these storms. Behind me are state leaders who will update you on the coordinated efforts to protect the life and property during these storms. We anticipate that this may be one of the most challenging and impactful series of storms to touch down in California in the last five years. We're currently experiencing the second of a series of storms that may continue for the next seven to ten days. Consequently, if the storm materializes as we anticipate we could see widespread flooding, mudslides and power outages in many communities. The governor activated the State Operations Center to its highest level. The women and men behind us provide a critical hub to direct state emergency activities and harness the experience the whole of government while working with our state, local, federal and tribal partners. But the governor, excuse me, but the government can't do it alone and will continue to work with our public and private partnerships. We'll also continue to work with our investment-owned utilities to respond quickly if the power goes out and they make sure that they provide the needed support to the most vulnerable. We thank the first responders and emergency personnel up and down our state for their work this past week, and we acknowledge that much more work remains to protect the communities from the storms ahead. Before I turn it over to the next speaker, I'd like to briefly remind Californians on the steps you can take to help yourselves and your families be safe. First, stay informed, sign up for emergency alerts from your county. Have a family emergency plan and know your emergency evacuation routes. Check on family members and neighbors and always follow the direction of your local authorities. If you are told to evacuate, please do so immediately. We'll continue to provide updates as we have them. We'll get through these storms and now I'd like to hand it over to our California Natural Resources Agency Secretary, Wade Crawford. Well, thanks so much, Director Ward, and on behalf of Governor Newsom's Cabinet, I just want to welcome you to working here at the state level in California. You know, we are so thrilled to have Director Nancy Ward in this position leading the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the decades of experience you bring, of course, following in the footsteps of Director Giladucci. Look, California is an extraordinary state and we experience extraordinary weather. As Californians, we're accustomed to these big winter storms that come off the Pacific. I recall when I moved to the state almost 30 years ago, that first winter just being amazed at the intensity of these storms. At the same time, we know that climate change is supercharging this extreme weather. We find ourselves in the third year of an intense drought. And in fact, the last three years have been the driest three-year period in the state's history. And at the same time, of course, now we navigate this series of atmospheric rivers. It's important to point out that while we are experiencing heavy snowfall and a lot of rain, we are still very much in the drought. Given that it's football season, I'll use an apt metaphor. We're still in the first half of the game. We've got major points on the board in terms of precipitation, snow and rain that will be helpful in coming dry months. But we're a long way from understanding how this wet season impacts our overall drought. And of course, the issue at hand, the topic, the challenge of today and in coming days, is to utilize our well-organized, long-established and heavily drilled framework of flood emergency response. We are here at the State Emergency Operations Center. Of course, the nexus for organization or organizing, responding to all manner of emergency in the state. And here at the Operations Center is working very closely with our state and federal flood operations center, also based in the Sacramento region. They're really the experts in understanding the hydrology of these storms and how they're impacting flood risk. And an important point of connection between local authorities that in many cases and in many places are responsible for flood control infrastructure like levees. And connecting those local authorities with the state and the federal agencies. And this network, this organization that we're part of is really focused on two things right now. One is being prepared for emergencies as they evolve today and in coming days. We have prepositioned equipment across the state and we are working with all manner of law enforcement agencies as you'll hear to be ready for those emergencies. And we're addressing challenges or problems that we have experienced from the last storm just a couple of days ago. Let me give an example. Here in Sacramento County, the breaching of agricultural levees along the Consumness River obviously created a major flooding challenge in the closure of Highway 99. Sacramento County is out in that area today working to close that breach and impact or protect the local area for coming storms. And the Department of Water Resources, which you'll hear from in just a moment, is out there providing technical assistance and helping to oversee the work. So we're both preparing for what we can expect to come here over the next day and days. And we're focused on emergency response to challenges that have already happened. So I'll just repeat Director Ward's admonition to everybody out there. Everybody has a role to play in terms of keeping yourself safe, keeping your family safe and your community safe. Number one, stay dry, stay safe and stay at home if possible. During the height of these storms, the safest place to be is off the road and at home. Number two, be prepared, particularly for power outages given the high winds and saturated soils. So have those candles and the flashlights, charge the cell phones, be ready for extended power outages. And as Director Ward said, pay attention to your local authorities, including signing up for alerts. And then thirdly, check up on your neighbors, particularly your vulnerable neighbors, your elderly neighbors, your folks that may be bound in home. Really important that we help each other stay safe during this drought. Now I'm going to turn it over now to the woman who leads our key agency on flood response and flood expertise in the state. And that is Director Carla Nameth of the Department of Water Resources. Thank you, Secretary, and thank you for joining us this morning. I'm Carla Nameth, the Director of the California Department of Water Resources. We are the entity that monitors hydrology and supports all Californians in flood protection. We are in the middle of our third atmospheric river in a matter of a week. December 27th was our first. We had a tremendous atmospheric river over the New Year's holiday and now we're into our third. The first two atmospheric rivers on a scale of one to five, five being the most dangerous. The first two were in the three to four range. That's really determined by amount of water vapor and duration of event. This event that we're experiencing now is about a three. That's because less water vapor and a shorter duration. What is important about this event is it is coming with high winds and we anticipate that that will be the primary impact. And you'll hear a lot more about how we're prepared to address those impacts besides flooding that comes with it as a result of high winds. We are in the middle of a flood emergency and also in the middle of a drought emergency. This is an extreme weather event and we're moving from extreme drought to extreme flood. What that means is a lot of our trees are stressed after three years of intensive drought. The ground is saturated and there is significant chance of downed trees that will create significant problems, potentially flooding problems, potentially power problems. That is really the signature of this particular event. We are also monitoring additional storms that could arrive this weekend and another two storms that could arrive next week. As those storms progress, as we have multiple storms in sequence, it doesn't require the same amount of precipitation to inflict significant damage. So we do need all Californians to be attentive to their local emergency, county emergency response services. And if you do get the word to evacuate, you do need to evacuate. The Department of Water Resources, as Secretary Crowfoot described, we have activated our Flood Operations Center. That is a state and federal partnership with our colleagues at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Weather Service, and NOAA. At that center we monitor the state plan of flood control, which includes the big systems in the Central Valley. I think Sacramento River Main Stem, I think our signature reservoirs, Shasta, Oroville, Folsom. We manage all of those systems together with local entities that manage the levees along those river systems. We believe that with these incoming storms we have enough capacity to absorb the precipitation for those storms. We have activated three of six weirs. That is where water over-tops. Some of it is passive, some of it is deliberate management. It over-tops those weirs and moves into flood bypass to relieve pressure on main stem levees. So we have not yet activated all of the infrastructure that is available to us as these storms progress. So that is a good sign. Where we're going to see, I think, significant challenges is along the coast, really from Crescent City all the way down to LA. Significant potential flooding effects, particularly in Mendocino County along the Russian River and along the Navarro River. So if you live in any of those areas, again, you need to be very attentive to your county emergency operations and heed their warnings. We are also monitoring very closely burn scar areas throughout the state. So if you are in an area that has burned recently, again, we urge you to stay connected with your county OES. These kinds of events can trigger mudslides and significant debris flow, so be ready to evacuate as needed. In our flood operation center, we communicate multiple times a day with local flood control districts. We have dispatched flood fighting materials at 49 sites throughout the state. Those local flood control districts monitor their levees around the clock, 24-7. And as soon as they see a problem, they report that up to the flood operation center. We report it to the state operation center to ensure that we have all the materials that we need. So if there's any flood control district that needs materials, you need to communicate with the flood operation center. We're there and we are all ready to help you. With that, I'm going to turn it over to the California Department of Transportation. Thank you. Good morning. I'm Tony Tavares. I'm the director for the California Department of Transportation. And at Caltrans, safety is our top priority for the traveling public. We're asking the public right now that if you don't need to be on our roadways, we're asking you to please stay home, avoid those non-essential trips, at least until the peak of the storm subsides. Caltrans has activated our 12 emergency operation centers throughout the state. We are monitoring the storm. As we speak right now, we have over 4,000 crews that have been deployed and are working 12-hour shifts around the clock to address any flooding, mudslides, rock slides, anything that may impact the traveling public. We're placing our equipment in many of our resources in critical locations so that we can be very quick and nimble to react and recover very quickly. We're also monitoring various bridges throughout the state for the water levels and the flows. And before, if you do have to travel, I will say before you travel, Caltrans has several options for you to obtain real-time traffic information and road closure information. We have a mobile app called Quick Map. I urge everyone to download it. It works on any smartphone. It provides you push notifications of any road closures or traffic concerns, and it will give you the real-time information if a roadway is closed or open. I will say working closely with our partners at the California Highway Patrol, we will be proactively closing roadways if we feel the conditions are unsafe. So we urge the public to please be patient, utilize our Quick Map app for more information, and it has already been mentioned previously. I will say if you can, stay home, stay dry, and stay safe. Now I'd like to introduce the Director for the Department of Social Services. Thank you, and good morning. Kim Johnson, California Department of Social Services. The California Health and Human Services Agency, along with its departments and offices, has proactively engaged in preparation for the upcoming events. Cal HHS has also engaged with local and community partners to ensure that those most in need, individuals with disabilities, older individuals, and unsheltered individuals are engaged and have access to services. The Department of Social Services is prepared to work alongside local partners and the American Red Cross to establish shelters. Please note that all are welcome at these shelters and no identification is required. The Department of Social Services is also engaging with the operators of the facilities that we license, including child care programs, children's residential programs, and adult and senior care settings to ensure that all are prepared. The Department of Public Health also continues to monitor skilled nursing facilities to ensure that they have what they need. Facilities and homes licensed by the state of California are required to have emergency plans that include what they will do, where they will go if it's necessary to evacuate, how they will get there, and additional considerations. The people working in these settings know what to do to keep residents safe from harm. If you are concerned about the well-being of a loved one residing in a long-term care setting, the statewide long-term care ombudsman crisis line is available 24-7 at 1-800-231-4024. The Department of Public Health, which also licenses healthcare facilities, is also prepared to deploy regional staff to support hospitals and healthcare facilities to evaluate impacts. The Emergency Medical Services Authority is prepared to monitor access to emergency medical services and deploy ambulance strike teams. The Department of Healthcare Access and Information is prepared to deploy structural engineers to healthcare facilities and to evaluate impacts. And finally, the California Department of Managed Healthcare requires California health plans to help victims of natural disasters, including earthquakes, wildfires, and flooding, who are experiencing problems obtaining healthcare services. This could include speeding up approvals for care, replacing lost prescriptions and ID cards, or quickly arranging healthcare at other facilities if a hospital or doctor's office is not available due to the disaster. If you are having a problem obtaining services or assistance from your healthcare plan, you can contact the DMHC Help Center at 1-88-466-2219 or visit www.healthhelp.ca.gov. The California Health and Human Services also encourages you to visit www.chhs.ca.gov to find the California Health and Human Services Emergency Resource Guide, which includes numerous resources you may access to meet your needs and the needs of your community and loved ones. At this time, I will turn it over to the California Highway Patrol. Good morning. My name is Sean DeRee. I'm the Acting Commissioner for the California Highway Patrol. First responders throughout the state are preparing for the storm that is coming upon us today and the ones that will roll in in the near future. As stated by our partners here today, we encourage everyone to stay home if possible. We realize that some will need to travel on the roadways, and those that do, we have some safety tips for you. We'd like you to ensure your vehicles maintain properly. Check your tires. Make sure you have significant tread that you can travel safely and your tires are inflated properly. If you live in a snowy area, either carry chains with you or have studded tires. Wind shield wipers are often overlooked, and so it's important to check those and make sure they're in good condition before you're in the storm. And I just remind you of the requirement to activate your headlights when your windshield wipers are on. There are two main factors we see in crashes throughout the state of California. Speed and following too close. Your ability to safely stop and avoid hazards or collision is drastically reduced on wet or icy roadways, so please slow down, take your time, leave plenty of space between your car and the vehicle in front of you. Leave early, plan for delays, and allow a little more time to arrive safely. Please, please, please do not ignore road closure signs or attempt to cross flooded roadways. This is extremely dangerous and an unnecessary risk. As little as 12 inches of water can cause a vehicle to start to float, add to that a slight current from flood waters, and your vehicle can easily be pushed off the roadway into deeper water, creating a true life-threatening emergency. This can be avoided by not attempting to drive through those flooded roadways. If you have vulnerable family, friends, or neighbors, we remind you to please check on them, and most importantly, if you need emergency services or first responders, call or text 911. Our dispatchers will deploy first responders to your scene. And I want to assure you, the CHP will have every available resource committed to patrol and the safety of those traveling on California's roadways. And with that, I'll turn it back over to Director Ward. Now we'd like to open it up to questions from you all. This is actually a question for Secretary Kirk, but he mentions that Sat County has crews out on the levee. Where is that? Is that near the Wilton area, or is that on those holes along Highway 99? Let me bring up Carla Nameth from the Department of Water Resources, and we may have to refer you to somebody who's actually from the regional office on the specific location, but just ask you to add anything, Carla. Sure, so I don't know precisely where, but we can get that information. But they are out today. The Department of Water Resources is providing technical assistance and oversight. As a general matter, as you know, it's raining out there. We're dropping a lot of rock to deal with that breach. It's not likely that these repairs are going to eliminate potential additional flooding on 99, just given where we are. So everyone, we just urge everyone to take caution, and I'll make sure that we can get back with you on that precise location. Do you have a warning for people? I mean there hasn't been an official flood warning out because of those levee breaks that weren't there we could go to now. Is there a heightened concern going into the storm with those breaks? So those warnings come out at the local county office of emergency services. So, and we keep track of those warnings that are out. So Sacramento County does have a flood warning for everybody in that area. Director Ward, if you could speak to how the emergency proclamation helps make the response easier for the state, just how it assists the social situation. It expands authorities and protocols, so waivers for drivers hours. Gosh, I should have my attorney come up here and tell you, specifically tell you all of the things, that's okay. Yeah, power crews, it expands that allows out of state resources to come into the state. Environmental types of expanded authorities. It provides the California Disaster Assistance Act to be implemented if necessary, which is a funding source from the Governor's Office of Emergency Services to infrastructure damages to our counties. So it's just a compendium of waivers and authorities, additional fuel trucks, those kind of things that typically are regulated much more heavily without a state of emergency. And we heard there's a range of concerns with this atmospheric river. Is there any one concern that trumps all? Is it flooding? Is it the winds? Is it, or is it, I'll leave up. Yes, I mean, as Carla mentioned earlier, you know, with the saturation of the water, it's not going to take much to overwhelm communities and to have fast flowing rivers and tributaries and they're going to rise quickly. And the next storm comes, we're just at that much higher rate and the next storm comes and we're just at that much higher rate. So it doesn't take much as you consecutively get the water through the same areas. So I guess I would say that we're worried about a storm hovering much too long because we're just so saturated. Just wondering where we are in efforts to clean up the current debris from the former storm. I just drive around Midtown Sacramento and you can still see some large trees blocking roadways and whatnot. And I would say that that's a local emergency management coordination with their, you know, maintenance crews and that. So I would say that, including me driving around, that they're a bit overwhelmed. And so I think it'll take a little bit, but they're going to be busy for quite some time. I agree with you. I agree with you. And probably we'll be adding on crews as we go. Can you talk about what infrastructure you may be most concerned about? Is it dams? Is it levies? Is it something else? And talk more about what's being done to afford to buy them? Sure. So I think the most vulnerable places in California right now are rural levies. They are not required to meet the same standards as the levies that protect our more urban communities. This is the most powerful set of storms since 2017. The state of California has invested $370 million in deferred maintenance that we understood at that time. And in addition to that, combined local, state, and federal investment in urban flood control levies has been $1.85 billion. So you get a sense of a lot of activity happens. And that is the time to ready ourselves is when we have much drier conditions. But it really is those rural levy areas that I think pose the greatest risk. As I mentioned in terms of large facilities here in the Sacramento area, the state and federal and local governments have a $1.85 billion flood protection project underway around the levies here after the flood in 1997. We're part way through construction there, which is terrific. It's these kinds of events where we know it puts the system to the test. Up in the Sacramento Valley, that's a part of California. In 2005, the legislature upgraded flood protection needs to 200-year flood protection. And that's a part of California in the Central Valley. That's very flood-prone. That had deep flooding problems in 1997. They're the first part of the state to achieve that 200-year flood protection. Just hundreds of millions of dollars of investment. So we're making good progress. But when we have these kinds of systems, it's very easy for smaller communities to get overwhelmed. And I think the best thing that we can all do and what we think about when we think about flood protection is you can't protect against everything. The flood response strategy to keeping people safe are the levies, but it's also human behavior. So again, stay off the roads if you can. When we have these high wind events, may not be a lot of precipitation, but high wind events not only do they knock out power, but they create debris that can also exacerbate flooding. So that's what we're asking people to do. But it really is, I think, more the rural levee system that is probably the most vulnerable. And lastly, I want to reiterate that those local reclamation districts do have 24-7 patrols of those levee systems. So when they detect a boil, that's what happened in the Cosumnes area. That local reclamation district detected boils. It's sort of moving water that suggests that there's seepage in that levee that is potentially dangerous. They elevated that concern to the Flood Operations Center, and we have been assisting them with the county to make sure they have the resources that they need and the technical expertise that they need. Carla, one quick comment. Are you able to step in now that there is an emergency order on some of those privately owned spots that are more rural levees if there is an issue and that owner or person hasn't reached out for help? Typically that happens at the county level. Ultimately, if there is danger to life and property or critical infrastructure, then the state does step in. But the responsibility does rest at the local county level. And they have to request that from you still, the chief command still. Correct. So that would just be the only superseding where if the person doesn't ask, the county would have to step in to bring you. Correct. Question about the high winds today, so you guys have mentioned staying inside and all that stuff, but also mentioning that some of these trees are very stressed because of the drought, and we saw some people who've had really big trees fall into their homes or cars. So at what point during this high wind event, what advice do you have for people who have these big trees in their homes? And they may not be aware of what they should be looking out for. Yeah, I would just say that they should have someone come out and check their trees to see if they are viable to withstand the kinds of winds that we are going to see. They should know whether or not the tree is distressed at some time, as Carla mentioned earlier, a lot of the trees are distressed just due to the drought. But then if something does happen, it is the homeowner's responsibility to coordinate that removal of that tree. What is that priority like? Chief, do you want to take that? Yeah, to answer your question, for the most cellular 911 calls come into the California Highway Patrol, dispatch centers. Some of them will go into local allies, but we are gearing up for that. We're planning for an influx of calls and we will have staff on it. If we need to, we'll hold the additional staff or mandate over time to field the calls. I have one more question about levees. Sure. So are most of the levees in California rated for 10-year floods? And no? No. So right now California has a law that the levees that protect the urban areas need to be at 200-year flood protection. So I can get you the breakdown. I don't have the breakdown of exactly how many are up to that level. A lot of it is in progress. But yeah, that's where California is headed with flood protection and levee certification. Secretary Crowfoot on, this is a down the line question, but I think when Californians see all this rain, some of it is not being captured and stored in the way that I think some would like. Some state lawmakers have said that they wish that there was more water storage infrastructure in California. How would you respond? Well, I'll start generally and then I'll turn it over to Karla, which is we know we have to update our infrastructure to keep up with climate change. You know, the fact is accelerating climate change is worsening wildfires, droughts, flooding and of course extreme heat and sea level rise. And so we need to make the infrastructure investments to adapt to this new climate reality. The good news is the governor of the legislature are investing unprecedented amounts of funding in updating infrastructure. Very important. On this question of water supply, we know we need to modernize the way that we move water across the state. So right now we're getting we're getting a lot of rain, a lot of river flows into the delta. And at the same time, we have very outdated infrastructure in the delta. And we need to in order to protect imperiled fish, we need to ensure that a lot of the water now moving into the delta actually moves through the delta and is not exported for future use. As we know, a large portion of our state, northern Southern California and the Central Valley, get water that comes from these rivers, the San Joaquin, the Sacramento and its tributaries through the delta. The challenge is we don't have modernized infrastructure that allows us to fully utilize a storm event like this. It's why Governor Newsom, our administration is advancing a modernized tunnel under the delta. That conveyance, which is not only going to be resilient to earthquakes, but it's going to be resilient to climate change. It's going to allow for, in a situation like this, actually getting as much water as appropriate to export for storage in future use. As it is right now, as Carlos will tell you, despite a remarkable amount of water into the delta, our agencies have actually had to reduce pumping in order to protect those imperiled fish. Which is an important thing. So we need to modernize our infrastructure, not only to protect and help adapt our communities, but protect that fish and wildlife as well. Carla, what would you add? Sure. Yes, we need to invest in our infrastructure. In a certain way, I think the dynamic of three weeks ago, we're talking about exceptional drought and here we are talking about the biggest series of storms we've seen in five years. And all, you know, all of our science indicates we're going to have more of these kinds of, you know, very wet events. I mean, last year, same thing, very wet events in the middle of a drought. So it's really important that we have the infrastructure in place to capture it. As Secretary Crofit mentioned, we are moving a lot more water right now than we were at the beginning of December. But we are also at this exact moment with very intense floods moving through the delta. We are, as of yesterday, dialing back the pumps as a way to provide important protections, in particular to SAM and other native fisheries. With a tunnel conveyance system, that's an opportunity to move more water when it's pulsing through this system at this fantastic rate. The other dynamic there is just overall flexibility. Actually, up in the northern part of our state, both Shasta and Oroville, they are at, you know, around 75% of average. They're at 35 and 34% of capacity. And that part of the state actually is still just under precipitation averages. So that really just demonstrates, you know, we're holding that water. Ultimately, we may have a situation that mirrors last year where the storm door shuts and then we have intense, not just dry, but very warm periods. And we are back into drought, which means it just essential that we have appropriate infrastructure at these moments where there's a lot of flashy water moving through our rivers and streams. I would also add the other piece of that is groundwater recharge. The governor as part of a drought executive order directed the Department of Water Resources to work with our colleagues at the Water Board and California Department of Fish and Wildlife to see what we could do in this exact event. If we do get flashy storms during the winter, especially the drought has been so brutal on some of our communities, can we move that water and get it down into our groundwater basins? And we are making progress there. We have about a handful of projects that are happening. But we are going to also need conveyance infrastructure to make sure that we're moving water to the right locations where that kind of recharge is the most efficient. We are definitely still in a water supply drought in California because of our reservoir levels. We do hope that we'll get a series of additional storms. I would also hope that it's not too warm this summer. There's all kinds of things that I hope for that would create sort of this perfect moment to really bump up our reservoir storage. But for our groundwater basins, it takes them a long time to recover. All that percolation is a lot slower and we need to update our infrastructure so that when we have these events, we're really ready because we know the storm door is going to shut. We know we will be back into a drought condition and we have got to prepare for it. With the continuous rain for the next week at least, what is the threshold to open the weirs? So a lot of the weirs are passive, so that means the river reaches a certain state and then it spills over the weir. The Sacramento weir, I want to say it's 29.7. That's the height of the river and then we actually go in manually and open that weir. So we don't necessarily see that happening over the course of the next four to five days. It could be the case next week. I would say one of the things about these storms, which was also true in 2017, is sometimes they park over a certain geography. I was in the Bay Area Friday night and you could just tell that storm system decided to stop in the Bay Area and San Francisco had five and a half inches of rain that day. So it is possible as these storms come in, they come in quickly, they start to stall out. That was the case at Oroville in 2017. So it's possible that we would need to open that Sacramento weir as a result of upcoming storms. There's just too much uncertainty at this moment.