Bracing for El Niño, Mendocino County Finds Clearing Flood-Prone Streams Out of Reach
The county's flood plan will not be finished before the storms arrive, the state has offered no money, and clearing even one flood-prone creek would take up to 18 months of permitting and cost $1 million.
UKIAH, Calif. — Mendocino County is working to buy and stage flood-fight supplies at four locations, seeking sandbags from the state and mapping past flood zones as it prepares for what forecasters say could be a historic El Niño winter, officials told the board of supervisors on Tuesday.
But the county's flood plan will not be finished before the storms arrive, the state has offered no money, and clearing even one flood-prone creek would take up to 18 months of permitting and cost $1 million.
The board unanimously ratified the local emergency that interim Chief Executive Officer Sara Pierce, the county's director of emergency services, proclaimed on Sept. 29. The proclamation says the county may need to buy supplies, sign contracts, and mobilize personnel quickly to prepare. The board's resolution also asks the director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services to make all applicable state funding available to Mendocino County.
What the county is doing
County officials, led by Travis Killmer, the county's chief recovery and resiliency officer, laid out the steps underway:
• Disaster response materials. The county plans to buy materials with a state Department of Water Resources grant and is trying to place them in Ukiah and Hopland, and tentatively in Manchester and Point Arena, Killmer said. Pierce has been working to speed up the purchase.
• Sand and sandbags. The county is asking the Department of Water Resources for sand and sandbags to place ahead of storms. In the past, it waited for fire departments to request them.
• Flood map review. The Office of Emergency Services, Sheriff's Office, and executive office will meet Friday to review historical flood maps and identify areas of concern. Pierce said the review will include maps from the 2005 flood.
• Regional coordination. The annual pre-winter meeting with cities, fire agencies, state agencies, and the National Weather Service is Oct. 15, where agencies will assess what resources each needs.
• Emergency operations center. Staff are making sure the center is ready to activate and that cities and fire agencies can reach the county with requests.
• Cost tracking. Staff time is being logged now so the county can seek FEMA reimbursement, including for roads, if storms cause damage.
• Social media posting. OES will focus its weekly social media posts over the next month on El Niño preparedness.
What the county isn't doing: stream clearing
The county also looked at clearing debris from waterways that routinely flood, but the permitting process required by the state could make that difficult before the coming winter.
Pierce said one such creek in Hopland would need eight to 10 studies and seven or eight permits from agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the regional water board, Caltrans, and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Without outside money, the $1 million cost would be borne by the general fund.
Supervisor Ted Williams urged staff to press the governor's office and Cal OES to waive the process for counties under an emergency. "The storm doesn't respect CEQA," he said, referring to the California Environmental Quality Act.
Pierce responded that the "only way" the state will allow the county to bypass the various planning and permitting requirements "is if we are in the middle of a true disaster."
Williams questioned the logic. "You can't wait until you are flooded to get a D9 in there?" he asked, referring to a heavy-duty bulldozer. "I think we need to push back on the governor's office or Cal OES," he said. "This process doesn't work for us."
Williams also asked whether some low-lying sections of the coast should be closed to tourism. He said accommodations in flood-prone areas should not be inviting out-of-county travelers to park RVs this season. "We don't want to use public safety to respond to emergencies that are avoidable," he said.
Pierce said that could be discussed after Friday's mapping session.
Correction: This story initially mispelled Travis Killmer's name. We regret the error. October 6, 2026 9:45 p.m.