SLO Reporter

City of San Luis Obispo officials and staff have begun to assess initial damages caused by the March 2023 storms and encourage community members to report storm damage on private or public property. The City of San Luis Obispo has posted recovery information at www.slocity.org/Recover .

“These two atmospheric river storms could have had more serious impacts, if not for the City's Storm Patrol Team's ongoing storm preparations and response efforts and the community's actions to keep themselves, their property and each other safe,” said City Manager and Emergency Services Director Derek Johnson. “By working together and taking necessary measures, we helped keep our community safe. Now comes the long road to recovery.”

Report Storm Damage on Private Property

• Report March 2023 storms damages to private property via RecoverSLO.org . This information will help determine the total amount of damage to San Luis Obispo County and will be used to pursue recovery funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), known as Individual Assistance.
• Apply for FEMA financial assistance for January 2023 storms damages to private property that are not covered by insurance by March 16, 2023. Note: This application deadline is NOT for the March 2023 Storms, as FEMA will likely provide a separate application for assistance for this month's storm damage.

Report Storm Damage on Public Property

• Report any maintenance issues in public spaces or facilities via the Ask SLO app (available for download in the Apple App Store or Google Play) or online at www.slocity.org/ASK . Please use the “Storm Response” topic to report issues such as fallen trees, potholes, sidewalk damage, flooded facilities, etc.
• Call the City's Public Works Department at (805) 781-7200 to report storm damage if you cannot use the Ask SLO app or website.

Please be advised that some facilities, roads, sidewalks, play areas, hiking trails, and bike paths will remain closed due to safety hazards, and each will be assessed in order of priority. The parks maintenance team is actively working to remove standing water from park playgrounds, sand volleyball courts, and other recreational amenities, but those may continue to have standing water for a day or so as the ground is thoroughly saturated.

“Even though we do everything we can to prevent flooding, we have been hit hard by a barrage of storms over the past few months. We will continue to use every resource at our disposal to protect lives and limit damage,” Johnson said.

Two atmospheric river storms hit the Central Coast back-to-back over the past week, resulting in more than six inches of total rainfall in the City of San Luis Obispo. The heavy rain resulted in dangerous flooding in many areas of San Luis Obispo County, including the City of San Luis Obispo. However, no casualties were reported in the city and, though creeks and streams rose to concerning levels, flooding mostly occurred on city streets. Over 40 City staff members across several departments worked around the clock to respond to March 2023 storm impacts as they happened, prevent more serious impacts, inform the community about potential hazards, and keep the community safe.

The City will continue to maintain public facilities - including streets, bridges, storm drains and creeks - to prevent flooding year-round. This includes cleaning creeks and storm drain systems, shoring up and stabilizing creek banks, repairing and inspecting waterways and underground drainage facilities, and more. In addition, the City's work to prevent flooding and pre-stage equipment and resources before the March 2023 storms helped to prevent more serious impacts. Get more information on the City's ongoing flood prevention work and plans online.

To receive updates from the City, please register for City News e-notifications on the City's website at  www.slocity.org/subscribe or follow the City of San Luis Obispo on social media. 

 

City of San Luis Obispo begins recovery from storm in March 2023

City officials are beginning to assess damage related to the recent spate of winter storms in our community. Here's how to report damage in the City of SLO.

San Luis Obispo city officials and staff have begun assessing initial damage from the storms that occurred in March 2023 and encourage community members to report storm damage to public or private property. . The City of San Luis Obispo has posted recovery information at www.slocity.org/Recover .

“These two atmospheric riverine storms could have had more serious impacts were it not for the continued storm preparedness and response efforts of the City's Storm Patrol Team and community actions to keep themselves and their families safe. real estate and others”, said the municipal administrator and director of emergency services. Derek Johnson. “By working together and taking the necessary steps, we help keep our community safe. Now comes the long road to recovery."

Report Storm Damage to Private Property

• You can report damage caused by the March 2023 storms to private property through RecoverSLO.org . This information will help determine the total amount of damage to San Luis Obispo County and will be used to obtain recovery funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), known as Individual Assistance.
• Apply for financial assistance from FEMA for damage caused by the January 2023 storms to uninsured private property by March 16, 2023. Note: This application deadline is NOT for March 2023 storms, as it is likely that FEMA provide a separate application for assistance for damage caused by this month's storm.

Report Storm Damage to Public Property

• Report any maintenance issues in public spaces or facilities through the Ask SLO app ( available for download from the Apple App Store or Google Play) or online at www.slocity.org/ASK . Use the "Storm Response" topic to report issues such as downed trees, potholes, sidewalk damage, flooded facilities, etc.
• Call the City's Department of Public Works at (805) 781-7200 to report storm damage if you are unable to use the Ask SLO app or website.

Please note that some facilities, roads, sidewalks, playgrounds, hiking trails, and bike paths will remain closed due to safety risks, and each will be evaluated in order of priority. The parks maintenance team is actively working to remove standing water from playgrounds, sand volleyball courts, and other recreational facilities, but they may continue to have standing water for a day or so as the ground is totally saturated.

“While we do everything we can to prevent flooding, in recent months we have been hit hard by a barrage of storms. We will continue to use all the resources at our disposal to protect lives and limit damage," Johnson said.

Two atmospheric river storms have hit the Central Coast back-to-back over the past week, resulting in more than six inches of total rainfall in the city of San Luis Obispo. The heavy rains caused dangerous flooding in many areas of San Luis Obispo County, including the city of San Luis Obispo. However, no casualties were reported in the city and although streams and creeks rose to worrying levels, the flooding occurred mainly in the streets of the city. More than 40 city staff members across various departments worked around the clock to respond to the impacts of the March 2023 storm as they occurred, as well as prevent more severe impacts, educate the community about potential hazards, and maintain to the safe community.

The City will continue to maintain public facilities, including streets, bridges, storm drains, and creeks, to prevent flooding throughout the year. This includes cleaning of streams and storm drainage systems, stabilization of stream banks, repair and inspection of waterways and subsurface drainage facilities, and more. In addition, the City's work to prevent flooding and prepare equipment and resources in advance of the March 2023 storms helped prevent more severe impacts. Learn more online about the City's ongoing flood prevention plans and efforts.

To receive updates from the City, sign up for City News email notifications on the City's website at www.slocity.org/subscribe or follow the City of San Luis Obispo on social media.  

Original source can be found here.