When Bill Patzert, a climatologist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory labelled our 2015/16 El Niño “Godzilla,” he knew what he was talking about. In comparing it to the most powerful El Niño ever recorded in in the winter of 1997-98, the current approaching weather pattern is larger and more powerful.
What can we expect from El Nino?
The overheating area of the Pacific ocean, known as the El Niño Subduction Zone, is 8 million square miles in size. The United States is 3 million square miles. This El Niño is more than two and half times larger than the continental United States!
It truly is a monster.
The first thing to do is to get ready. Do you have an escape plan? Is your home or apartment prepared? Do you have Insurance?
There are several key areas to be concerned with:
Get the latest info on El Niño by visiting our El Niño website: http://el-nino.mysafela.org.
Do what you can to purchase flood insurance. Know what it means to have this type of insurance, and be aware of the waiting periods involved.
The good thing about El Niño is that we can prepare for it. By doing so, we can survive it. If you want more information, or need assistance, there are a number of resources available to you.
And your local government wants to talk to you, too!
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It only takes a few minutes, and it could give you the head start on getting out of harm’s way.
For other resources, consider the following:
Federal:
State & County of California:
Los Angeles:
Non Government Organizations: