EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: February 7, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Melvin Gaines, City Manager
BY: Humza Javed, Public Works Director
Amy Chen, Community & Economic Development Director
Greg Henry, Senior Management Analyst
SUBJECT: Status of Local Emergency - Winter Storms
Recommendation
Receive and file this report on the status and City response to the storms beginning December 31, 2022.
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 1: Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Priority No. 4: Improve Public Facilities and Infrastructure Priority No. 5: Improve Communication and Enhance Community Engagement Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
Beginning December 31, 2023 the City experienced record rainfall. The result of the rain early was ponding on the west side of the City. However, as the storm stalled over the Peninsula, flow rates through the San Francisquito Creek because of focus of emergency response concerns. Ponding continued throughout the next day, spread over more the City.
There was a letup in the rain between January 1st and January 5th which allowed the City to respond to initial storm and prepare for the storm on the 5th. The City’s primary activity between the storms was debris removal and sandbagging efforts.
On January 5, 2023, the Interim City Manager, in his role as Director of Emergency Services, issued a proclamation of local emergency in East Palo Alto due to the damage and impacts resulting from the extreme and unprecedented levels of rainfall and associated severe weather. Under Chapter 2.76 of the East Palo Alto Municipal Code, a proclamation of local emergency declared by the Director of Emergency Services shall remain in effect for no more than seven days unless it is ratified and extended by the City Council. On January 6, 2023 the City Council ratified and extended the proclamation.
On January 17, 2023, staff provided the City Council with an update on the City’s continued response to the storm damage in the City. At the conclusion of that discussion, the City Council requested that staff provide further information at the City Council meeting on February 7, 2023.
The purpose of this informational report is to provide the City Council and community with more detailed information on the City and other stakeholders storm recovery efforts.
Analysis
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Declaration
As of January 30, 2022, the FEMA declaration of disaster for individual assistance now applies to all residents in San Mateo County. Residents can track the designated areas for the California Flooding here: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4683/designated-areas. This video provides some information on how areas are declared for disaster:
https://www.fema.gov/disaster/how-declared.
The individual assistance program is detailed here:
https://www.fema.gov/assistance/individual/program.
Particularly, the individual assistance program allows applicants access to “Funds for other uninsured or under-insured disaster-caused expenses and serious needs, such as repair or replacement of personal property and vehicles, or funds for moving and storage, medical, dental, child care, funeral, and other miscellaneous items approved by your state, territory, or tribal government.”
This program provides the best opportunity for residents to access additional aide.
Westside Damage Update
As mentioned, the San Francisquito Creek was a key focus area for some of the emergency response concerns. Some residents near Woodland Avenue experienced flooding. Two belowgrade garages at the Woodland Park Apartments experienced approximately 24 inches of flooding. A count of 17 personal vehicles have been reported so far as damaged by the storm.
The owner, Woodland Park Communities, is working with their affected tenants. Woodland Park has cleaned the flooded areas and repaired any damages caused to the structures by the water. Woodland Park has also worked closely with its residents and the community. There are three ways affected tenants can seek assistance:
1) Renters’ Insurance: All tenants are encouraged to have renters’ insurance. If they are recent tenants, they were required under their respective leases to have renters’ insurance at the commencement of their tenancy. Woodland Park created the attached informational flyer that lists step-by-step instructions on how to file a claim for property damage through the insurance policy offered to Woodland Park tenants. This flyer is also translated in Spanish and will be distributed in affected areas and in the management offices.
2) Personal/Auto Insurance: Tenants may have their own personal or automobile insurance and may make a claim through such insurance policies. 3) Samaritan House: Woodland Park is working with and has confirmed that Samaritan House, a local nonprofit that distributes aid to those in need, is helping tenants who have experienced a loss due to the recent flooding. Please see attached informational flyer.
Staff will monitor the work between Samaritan House, Woodland Park, and the impacted residents and will provide the City Council with future updates on the progress as time goes on.
Although it is not anticipated that the creek will flood to that degree again soon, if it does, Woodland Park has arranged for alternative parking spaces that may be offered to tenants who would like to move their cars out from the underground parking lot to avoid this from happening again.
The City responded to the flooding along Woodland with the following actions:
· Installation of over two hundred linear feet of sandbags along Woodland Avenue to protect public and private property;
· Single closure on southbound Woodland Avenue between Manhattan and University; · Begin assessment of the San Francisquito Creek bank between Manhattan Avenue and University Avenue;
· Cleanup of Manhattan Avenue, Woodland Avenue, West Bayshore Road, O’Connor Street, Euclid Avenue; and
· Removal of over 60 tons of debris from the San Francisquito creek.
Sanitary District Discharges Update
During the meeting on January 17, 2023, a question was raised regarding whether the East Palo Alto Sanitary District (EPASD) had any discharges during the height of the storm. EPASD has reported that there were no discharges.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact with this report.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice of this agenda item by posting the City Council agenda on the City’s official bulletin board outside City Hall and making the agenda and report available at the City’s website and at the San Mateo Co. Library located at 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The proposed action does not constitute a “Project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378(b)(5) because receiving a report is a government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
Attachments
1. Woodland Park Flyer - Jan 2023