Mayor Eric Garcetti signed an executive directive to ensure Los Angeles is fully prepared for the heavy rainfall of El Niño and the projected impacts of the weather patterns.

Mayor Eric Garcetti is joined by city councilmen for the signing of his newest executive directive on weather preparedness. (photo courtesy of the 4th District Office)

“This El Niño is expected to be the strongest on record, and we must be ready for everything that comes with heavy rain,” Garcetti said. “I’m making sure the City of Los Angeles is prepared for whatever El Niño may bring, and I encourage all Angelenos to do the same for their homes and families.”

The mayor’s 14th executive directive creates an El Niño Task Force made up of 13 city departments that will focus on short- and long-term preparations specific to the heavy rain, flooding, erosion, and debris flow associated with El Niño. The task force will be led by the Emergency Management Department, which continually works to prepare for, respond to, and recover from any major emergency in the City of Los Angeles.

Garcetti also announced a memorandum of understanding between the City and wireless service providers AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon to share their networks in the aftermath of an emergency — enabling voice and data traffic to be carried on any functioning network, regardless of a customer’s service provider.

Two companies with expertise in large-scale disaster mitigation, AshBritt Environmental and CTI Environmental, will provide on-call response and recovery services during emergencies. In the event that City resources are exhausted after an emergency, these providers will mobilize to provide essential needs to residents and recovery efforts.

Garcetti encouraged all Angelenos to prepare for the El Niño season and to register with NotifyLA, the City’s mass notification system.  All individuals who register will receive information via voice, text, or email message alerts if their designated geographic area is impacted by an emergency.

To register for NotifyLA and to find extensive information about storm and emergency preparedness, visit ElNinoLA.com