Tiburon has approved a $75,000 budget amendment to purchase additional storm response and emergency preparedness supplies ahead of a potentially severe rain season.
Meteorologists predict strong El Niño conditions in the region starting in October. The climate pattern and the prospect of king tides have Marin municipalities preparing for potential flooding.
“Given the Town’s vulnerable drainage areas, numerous low-lying locations, public facilities, transportation corridors, and shoreline infrastructure, staff believes that additional investments in preparedness equipment and supplies are warranted to enhance the Town’s ability to respond to severe weather events,” Patrick Kerslake, a Tiburon public works manager, wrote in a staff report.
The supplies the town intends to purchase include temporary flood barriers; a towable trash pump, which can remove water and litter from a flooded area; a portable light tower; a programmable message board, bringing the town’s supply up to three; traffic control devices like cones and barriers; and sandbags and other supplies.
Kerslake said the supplies will improve the town’s response times, enhance its overall readiness and reduce its reliance on outside equipment, which might be limited in emergency situations. The funding for the equipment will come from the town’s capital equipment reserve fund.
The Town Council approved the expenditure in a 3-0 vote on Wednesday. Mayor Jon Welner and Councilmember Holli Thier were absent.
“None of this stuff is perishable, so even if we don’t use it this year, we’ll have it,” Councilmember Jack Ryan said at the meeting.
Other local governments gearing up for the storm season include the county. It is working on an approach with jurisdictions in Marin to improve emergency communications, assess storm infrastructure and map low-lying areas, among other actions.
The county has launched a website to provide the public with information such as where to pick up sandbags. The county also says it plans to conduct a series of emergency exercises with cities, towns and first responders.
“Preparedness is a shared responsibility,” County Executive Derek Johnson said at the Aug. 18 meeting of the Board of Supervisors. “We can’t control how ultimately things will unfold this winter, but we can control how we’re prepared.”
