SAN DIEGO — Preparations for the atmospheric river heading to the region are in progress.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced 8,300 personnel are standing by to lend a helping hand during the cold storm. Cal Fire, Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol are staffed to the max and in service.
“Statewide everyone is on, swift water teams, extra engines, everyone is prepared, because we don’t know where the storm will hit hardest,” said Capt. Brent Pasqua from Cal Fire San Diego.
There are a reported 1,200 vehicles and seven million sandbags already preplaced for the oncoming “Pineapple Express,” a nickname for a strong atmospheric river in the tropical Pacific near Hawaii, expected to hit San Diego County by Sunday night.
Rescuers are urging people to walk their properties identifying and vulnerabilities before the rain starts falling.
Several inches of rain in a short amount of time is expected and an estimated 22 million people will experience this storm as it passes through California.