East Bay emergency task force readies for SoCal deployment
OAKLAND -- Following a winter of powerful atmospheric rivers, you'd think California would be ready for a rainstorm -- even one in August. But state officials warn that precipitation from Hurricane Hilary could be something else entirely.
"California's threatened by what could be one of the most devastating storms that we've had hit California in more than a decade," said Nancy Ward with the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. "Make no mistake, this is a very, very dangerous and significant storm. Heavy rainfall, strong winds associated with this storm began today -- already."
The last time California was subjected to an actual tropical storm was clear back in 1939 so the entire state has been gearing up for it.
"Our state has the best trained and experienced local first responders in the country," Ward said. "We're proud to have them pre-positioned all across the southern part of this state to ensure that we can respond as quickly as possible. We've pre-positioned high-water vehicles, swift-water rescue teams."
One of those is Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 4 in the East Bay. Swift-water rescue team members met at their warehouse in Oakland to assemble their gear and load up the inflatable boats. They just got the call Saturday afternoon that they would be deployed to a location in Riverside County.
"It's pretty much ready to go," said task force leader Captain Frank Nasca. "Just going through, checking motors, checking the boats, checking all the equipment to confirm that we have everything, nothing's broken and that we're operationally ready in the event that we get down there and it's 'go time.'"
The national urban search and rescue system actually began in Oakland following the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. Members are trained to assist in virtually any kind of calamity or natural disaster and Task Force 4 will assist with potential flood rescues.
"Where we're going is more inland, into the Riverside area where, I think, they're expecting a little bit more flash flood and they're just not equipped right now and ready to handle some of that stuff," Capt. Nasca said.
Also helping will be members of the California National Guard, who can make use of their large, high-water vehicles to access areas cut off by water.
But they won't just face a lot of rain.
"We're talking 40-50 mile per hour sustained winds, not just gusts," said National Weather Service meteorologist Alex Tardy. "Gusts will be stronger than that. So -- we've got to emphasize -- wind speeds will be even stronger than 40 to 50."
That will undoubtedly mean power outages. A virtual army of utility workers from across the state are on standby all throughout the southland to handle any downed power lines. It's one more crazy twist to the weather patterns. At a time when we're usually focused on wildfires, it's all hands on deck for a rainstorm unlike any the state has seen in nearly a century.