SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento County is sharing the following tips and advice with the community ahead of storms expected in the area.
As California continues to dig out from the previous storms, another one is on the way. Forecasters said an atmospheric river taking aim at northern and central California was expected to arrive as early as Thursday morning.
The warm storm was raising concern about rapid snowmelt of portions of the state’s substantial snowpack. Authorities said creeks, streams and rivers could rise quickly, raising the risk of flooding.
Storm preparation tips
Prepare a basic emergency kit that will contain the items you may need:
- Several changes of clothes
- Hygiene products, including prescriptions
- Portable cell phone charger and spare cables
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Fresh drinking water and non-perishable food
- Pet food
What to do at home?
With the storm on the way, here's what Sacramento County officials recommend people do around their homes to prepare.
- Prepare for wind. Secure yard items that may blow around, check fences and be prepared for the possibility of loss of power.
- Prepare for power outages. Use flashlights or electric lanterns, do not use unattended candles. Keep your refrigerator and freezer doors closed to preserve your food.
- Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during and after a disaster.
- Heat your home safely. It is not OK to heat your home with any kind of BBQ, propane heater, or any other fuel combustion equipment due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Only use heaters installed with your home, and those designed to be used indoors.
- Check on elderly family members, friends or neighbors.
- Bring pets indoors. Before letting pets into the yard, check fences and gates to ensure they were not blown or knocked over during the storm and that your yard is secure. Keep collars with ID tags on pets just in case they get lost, and make sure their microchip information is up to date. If pets do not have or cannot wear ID tags, write your phone number on their collars with a Sharpie. To report stray animals, call 311.
What to do while driving?
Sacramento County suggests the following tips if you need to hit the roads for any reason over the next couple of days.
- Turn Around, Don’t Drown! Do not drive through standing water and obey all closed road signage.
- When raining, reduce your vehicle speed. Increase the distance and time needed to stop your vehicle on wet roads.
Other Resources
Here is a list of other resources that may be of help as the storms move in. They cover things from fallen trees to staying up-to-date an the latest news.
- For the most up-to-date information on the impacts of the storm, flooding, road closures, evacuations and shelters visit sacramentoready.org.
- Sign-up for Emergency Alerts at Sacramento-Alert.org. This system alerts residents about emergency events and other important public safety information quickly in a variety of situations, such as severe weather, missing persons and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods.
- Where to get help. Call 211 in Sacramento or go to 2-1-1 online for information on emergency shelter services.
- For a list of sandbag locations, visit stormready.org. Sand and bags are provided, but residents must bring a shovel and fill bags themselves. 20 bag limit per person.
- For downed power lines, stay away and call 9-1-1 immediately.
- Watch for tree limbs. For downed trees or branches in the roadway, County residents can go online or call 311 (or 916-875-4311 if calling from out of the area).
- If you see street flooding or any traffic hazard due to the storm, call 3-1-1.
Sacramento County says it's taking proactive measures to prepare for any potential impacts of the rains, including clearing out storm drains and monitoring potential flooding areas.
STORM RESOURCES:
► FORECAST DETAILS | Check out our hourly forecast and radar pages
► GET WEATHER ALERTS TO YOUR PHONE | Download the ABC10 mobile app
► WEATHER IN YOUR EMAIL | Sign up for our daily newsletter
ACCOUNTS TO FOLLOW:
