BACKGROUND:
On Sunday, August 20, Cathedral City was devastated by the effects of Tropical Storm Hilary. A large mudflow began in Upper Mission Creak overtook the Horizon Road neighborhood bordered by Vista Chino, Date Palm, and Panorama Road, dumping 4-6 feet of mud through portions of the neighborhood and trapping residents in their homes and completely blocking the local roadways. The Canyon Mobile Home Park had approximately 50 mobile homes flooded requiring the Fire Department to evacuate several residents. Additionally, the Terracina Apartments received flooding, displacing 12 households.
Numerous roadways were closed by Public Works due to flooding and debris flow.
There was a 911 system outage valley wide requiring calls to be routed to the Police Department business lines. The Fire Department responded to numerous calls for rescues and flooding, overall rescuing 62 residents.
On August 19, 2023, Governor Newsom declared a statewide State of Emergency in response to the extreme weather conditions. Due to unprecedented rainfall and flooding locally, the City activated its Emergency Operations Center at 6:30 am on Sunday, August 21, 2023 as the City’s ability to respond exceeded available resources and to ensure a coordinated response. On Monday, August 21, 2023, the City Manager, in his capacity as the Director of Emergency Services, and Fire Chief, in his capacity as Assistant Director of Emergency Services, proclaimed a local emergency.
Riverside County also declared a local emergency for the entire county on August 21, 2023. On August 23, 2023, the City Council ratified the proclamation of an emergency.
On September 14, Governor Newsom sent a request to President Biden for a major disaster declaration for the State of California.
DISCUSSION:
Cathedral City is still reeling from the impacts of Tropical Storm Hilary. The Horizon neighborhood residents are still digging out their homes from the mudflow. The City’s Public Works staff and contractors have continued to clear debris from the Horizon neighborhood and is moving into the debris removal phase. Residents in the Terracina Apartments are still displaced due to flood damage and residents in the Canyon Mobile Home Park are still making repairs from damage to their homes. The City Manager’s staff and City Council continue to advocate to the state and federal government for assistance. The US Small Business Association was hosted by Cathedral City at the Cathedral City Library to provide disaster loans for Riverside County residents still recovering from the storm damage.
Due to the ongoing response efforts by staff to address ongoing concerns and damages from the storm, staff recommends the City Council continue the declaration of a local disaster.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact from this action of the City Council. The City has expended over $1.062 million on contracts to clear mud from the Horizon Neighborhood and other sites. At the September 27, 2023 City Council meeting, the City Council approved a $4.56 million contract for debris removal to remove over 150,000 cubic yards of debris from the Horizon neighborhood. Additional costs for overtime and other contracted services will be in addition to these already incurred costs.
FIVE-YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN:
Goal E: Safety
Objective: Cathedral city is safe for all who live, work, visit and play in our community.