NEWS RELEASE: City of San José is Ready for El Niño Storm Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT
Chelsea Palacio, Public Information Manager, City Manager's Office of Emergency Management
408-406-5723; [email protected]

Photos and B-Roll available online.

City of San José is Ready for El Niño Storm Season

SAN JOSE, Calif. (October 15, 2026) - The City of San José is preparing for the strong El Niño storm season, which the National Weather Service predicts will bring heavy rainfall with the potential for flooding. The City is coordinating emergency plans with community partners, clearing storm drains, and providing resources to keep residents safe.

"Our residents have weathered storms, and each one has made us better prepared. We have updated plans, a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center, and a proven partnership with Valley Water," said City Manager Jennifer Maguire. "Our transportation crews are out clearing 35,000 storm drains and watching more than 60 flood-prone areas. But preparedness is a shared responsibility. I'm asking every San José household to sign up for emergency alerts, know their flood risk, and make a plan before the first storm arrives."

The City has improved its emergency management and operations and incorporated lessons learned from past flood events, including the 2017 Coyote Creek flood. The City has updated its emergency operations plan, developed a comprehensive crisis communications plan, and created a joint emergency action plan with Valley Water that has been successfully executed through five storm events, including the 2024 atmospheric river storms.

To prepare for the El Niño storms, San José is closely monitoring areas of the city that have experienced flooding or landslides in previous storm seasons. Crews from the Department of Transportation are clearing leaves and debris from storm drains to reduce flooding and potential storm impacts. City teams will also notify unsheltered residents that El Niño storms are coming. Staff will help connect unhoused residents with referrals and temporary housing programs through the Here4You hotline.

"We're anticipating a wet winter - and our residents are counting on us to ensure every level of government and community partner is prepared," said Mayor Matt Mahan. "We're working with Valley Water to identify flood risks, address hazardous debris and eliminate gaps in responsibility before the storms arrive. When residents' safety is on the line, they deserve coordinated action, not bureaucratic confusion."

Every City employee is a Disaster Service Worker under state law; over 85 percent of City employees are trained as emergency workers to be activated during disasters and emergencies. Additionally, the City participates in tabletop and simulated training exercises regularly. These exercises allow staff to practice emergency action plans to respond quickly and effectively when storms hit. For instance, a large flood exercise was conducted with Valley Water in September.

Trainings are hosted at the San José state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Measure T-funded facility, run by the City Manager's Office of Emergency Management and designed to be activated for all emergencies. City teams and partners work together at the EOC to make decisions during a major emergency or disaster, coordinate communication from crews embedded in the community, and secure and deploy resources as needs arise. The building is equipped to run on its own solar power and backup systems, so the City can continue emergency response even if power or other services go down.

"I've seen firsthand how coordination across City departments and our partners can save and improve lives," said Raymond Riordan, Director of the City Manager's Office of Emergency Management. "San José is ready to serve if and when disaster strikes."

The City is also encouraging and helping residents to prepare their homes and families. Staff completed 21 emergency preparedness presentations in neighborhoods across the city this year. Each presentation covers how to create an emergency plan, what to include in an emergency kit, and how to sign up for emergency alerts. Outreach staff are also canvassing flood-risk areas near Coyote Creek, Guadalupe River and other waterways with informational resources.

Residents are encouraged to prepare for storm season by:

The City's Manager's Office of Emergency Management will host the next El Niño Storm Preparedness Workshop on Wednesday, October 21, at 6 p.m. Residents are encouraged to register online to attend. More storm preparedness resources are available on the City's Storm Preparedness webpage (bit.ly/SJ-StormReady).

About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California's largest city and the 13th largest city in the nation. San José's transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.

About the City Manager's Office of Emergency ManagementThe Office of Emergency Management leads efforts to protect life, property and the environment by developing, coordinating and managing programs that prevent, prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate natural and man-made disasters and emergencies.

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