Agenda Item Wording:
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Receive a presentation on the City of Visalia's efforts and response to the Spring 2023 Flood Event to include a summary of the research, planning, and coordination of city staff and the City of Visalia's unified command position with California Fire (Cal Fire) Incident Management Team 3.
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Deadline for Action: 5/15/2023
Submitting Department: Fire Department
Contact Name and Phone Number: Dan Griswold, Fire Chief, 559-713-4220
Department Recommendation:
Receive Spring 2023 Flood Event presentation.
Background Discussion:
Friday, March 10, 2023 marked the first of multiple, significant atmospheric river rain events to impact Visalia and Tulare County over the following couple of weeks. March 10th also marked the start of city staff's active monitoring and planning for the potential impacts several inches of warm rain, over a short period of time, and added to low elevation snow in the Sierra Nevada foothills, could have on the City of Visalia. On this first Friday, and over this first weekend, staff tracked rainfall amounts in the City of Visalia and in the Sierras and how the downslope flows from rain and added snowmelt were affecting Visalia's ditches, streams, and the St. John's River. City staff began actively monitoring these waterways for spots of potential weakness, overflow, and for debris that could be removed.
On Monday, May 13, 2023, the City of Visalia declared a local state of emergency based on the unknown impacts the significant rain and mountain snowmelt would have on Visalia's waterways. Also on Monday, May 13th, the City of Visalia officially opened the Visalia Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to continue research, planning, and coordination to respond to the effects of record amounts of rainfall and snowfall passing through the City of Visalia.
The critical functions of the EOC were staffed and personnel from every City department were involved...
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