Are you prepared for storm season?

  • Published
  • By Merrie Schilter-Lowe
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  It's 2 a.m. and something loud awakens you. Your first thought is "it's a break-in." You roll over to the side of the bed, dangle a foot and try and locate your slippers. Your toes touch something very cold and very wet. "Oh, no," you think.  "The toilet overflowed."

That can't be it. You don't hear running water. Now you're really awake. You jump out of bed and literally stand up in a foot of water. The entire bedroom of your two-story apartment is flooded. Now it hits you. "El Niño has struck."

Anyone who thinks the above scenario could never happen should think again.

On Dec. 31, 2005, dozens of people from Travis Air Force Base, California, were stranded when two creeks that run through Vacaville, California, overflowed flooding entire neighborhoods, according to Mark Wilson, installation emergency manager, 60th Civil Engineer Squadron's readiness and emergency management flight.  

"One of our NCOs lived on the second floor of an apartment building that flooded," Wilson said. "She lost everything."

A lot of the Travis first sergeants "passed the hat" to help members replace some of their belongings. "People lost vehicles, refrigerators and furniture," Wilson said.

The flood also contributed to the death of DeWayne Jackson, 60th Maintenance Group employee, who was hit by a falling eucalyptus tree, Wilson said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts that El Niño -related storms will have a major impact in Northern and Southern California this year, resulting not only in floods but the associated mud slides, power outages and fallen trees.

The NOAA is the federal agency primarily responsible for providing climate forecasts to the nation as well as being involved in El Niño research, monitoring and prediction. 

According to the NOAA, El Niño has an 80 percent chance of lasting into early spring and a 90 percent chance of lasting through the winter. The agency also predicts that El Niño effects this year may be stronger than in the 1997 to 1998 time period.

During the month of February 1998, a series of storms struck California causing an estimated $550 million in damages and killing 17 people. According to news reports, a total of 35 counties were declared federal disaster areas.  

El Niño is a disruption of the ocean-atmosphere system in the tropical Pacific that affects weather and climate around the world, according to the NOAA. The phenomenon was originally recognized by fishermen off the coast of South America, occurring around Christmas. El Niño   means "The Little Boy" or "Christ child" in Spanish. 

El Niño typically occurs every two to seven years and the cycle last about 12 months. The current event was identified in June, though scientists are not yet sure what caused it.

While base housing residents may not experience severe flooding, there is a strong possibility that some base organizations will flood, said Ed Cebula, 60th CES horizontal shop foreman. The shop is responsible for airfield pavements maintenance, drainage, base roads, sidewalks, driveways and equipment support for the squadron. 

"There's been flooding almost every year since I've been here," said Cebula, who has spent 42 years at Travis. He explained that once the ground becomes saturated, there's nowhere for the water to go, especially when storm drains are 4 feet deep and the tide level is around 7 feet high.

Despite the fact that Union Creek on base and the duck pond are kept relatively free of debris, they can become inundated and contribute to flooding.

"No matter what we do, there is a tendency for localized flooding," Cebula said. 

Areas most likely to flood include the southwest corner of the base; Perimeter Road, including the Navy VQ-3 Detachment area; the duck pond area; Twin Peaks Road to Broadway Street and back toward the main gate, Cebula said.

Sandbags placed around doorways and other low-laying areas where water might enter the building will protect most buildings from damage. Additionally, building custodians should keep storm drains and alcoves free of debris, Cebula said. 

The horizontal shop has stockpiled a thousand sandbags and can fill another thousand bags in an hour, Cebula said.

For sand bags, building custodians can call 60th CES customer service at 424-2575.

Members living off base can visit the Solano Office of Emergency Services website for information on how to protect themselves and minimize property damage, Wilson said. The website is at http://www.co.solano.ca.us/depts/oes/grs/flood/default.asp

Homeowners may also want to purchase flood insurance since regular homeowners' policies do not cover flood damages. To find out how and where to purchase coverage and determine if a home is in a high-risk flood area, go to https://www.floodsmart.gov.

In the event of a storm, Wilson encourages members living off base to "pay attention to community announcements." People on and off base also need to be prepared to fend for themselves for at least three days.

"We tell people that they need to be self-sufficient for at least three days ... minimum," said Wilson. He also suggested getting family members involved in making a disaster and survival plan. The Air Force provides basic preparedness information at http://www.beready.af.mil.