Carmel-by-the-Sea kicks off regional planning for potential 'super El Niño'

A staff member told the meeting that the city is taking reports of a potentially strong "super El Niño" this winter seriously and has begun early planning with the public works and police departments to prepare for storm impacts.

The staff member said staff held a meeting with public works and police and will start public-facing communications in the coming months about preparedness steps. The staff member also said they placed an item on the agenda of a regional monthly meeting of city managers (12 participating cities) to discuss collaborating across municipal boundaries if storms prove severe, citing that evacuations and other emergency responses do not respect city limits.

Officials described the work as early-stage planning and emphasized coordination with neighboring jurisdictions. No operational orders, budget allocations, or formal emergency declarations were reported in the remarks recorded during the announcements.

Next steps: staff said more community outreach and internal planning will follow in the coming months as forecasts and regional coordination activities develop.