BOARD AGENDA MEMORANDUM
Government Code § 84308 Applies: Yes ☐ No ☒
(If “YES” Complete Attachment A - Gov. Code § 84308)
SUBJECT:
Title
Emergency Preparedness and Response.
End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) Board, and the City of San José (City) Mayor and City Council receive an update on the continued coordination to support our communities in the case of flooding.
Body
SUMMARY:
BACKGROUND
The City of San José and Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water) have established an ongoing partnership for emergency preparedness and response. Both government agencies have legislatively adopted and continue to maintain the Joint Emergency Action Plan for Severe Storm and Flood Response in San Jose (JEAP), which establishes the structure and response expectations for potential and actual flooding emergencies. The JEAP identifies flooding hotspots, agency roles and responsibilities, triggers for response, and public communication guidelines between Valley Water and the City of San José. Since the JEAP was initially adopted in 2017, three updates have been accomplished where additional flood hotspots have been added, or existing plan content has been revised. A fourth update to the JEAP is being finalized to add Berryessa Creek, which includes flood hotspots at Corpley Avenue and Berryessa Park.
ANALYSIS
Valley Water and the City of San José have conducted numerous trainings and exercises for the JEAP, but most recently during the Winter Storms of 2022-2023 the JEAP was activated to guide emergency response. During the inclement weather period, Valley Water provided intelligence and flood projections to the City of San José that involve creek and reservoir behavior. The City of San José deployed resources from Public Works, Department of Transportation, Police Department, Parks Recreation and Neighborhood Services, Housing, and other departments for emergency response actions, including the use of both in person teams and long-range acoustical devices (LRADs) to warn residents along the waterways; and establishing shelters for 283 unhoused residents and 94 took advantage of the evacuation transition facilities.
Valley Water produced and delivered sandbag resources to the City, and deployed field operations staff to safely clear debris and maintain stream channels. Both agencies have Field Information Teams that were deployed to monitor real-time status in the creeks and impacted city areas. Public communications were coordinated between the Emergency Operations Centers and Public Information Officers from both agencies. These actions between both agencies resulted in a coordinated and effective response during the storm events.
In anticipation of the upcoming Winter, the City of San José and Valley Water continue to prepare for potential flooding that the season may bring. Both agencies are scheduled to perform a joint walk-through of the JEAP in December, to maintain alignment and expectations for emergency response. Both agencies regularly seek for areas of improvement in regard to their roles and responsibilities during flood monitoring and response, and the JEAP is the binding document that captures these enhancements. The strong partnership between the City of San José and Valley Water demonstrates that collaboration and coordination provide a more effective and efficient response to the public during times of emergency.
COORDINATION
This memorandum has been coordinated with the City Manager’s Office of Emergency Management, Department of Public Works, Department of Transportation, and Valley Water.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
There are no Environmental Justice impacts associated with this item.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no financial impact associated with this item.
CEQA:
The recommended action does not constitute a project under CEQA because it does not have the potential for resulting in direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: PowerPoint
*Handout 2.3-A: Revised PowerPoint
UNCLASSIFIED MANAGER:
Manager
Alexander Gordon, 408-630-2637