City launches ‘Paso Prepared’ campaign ahead of El Niño rainy season

Paso Robles residents have a new resource — and a new to-do list — as the city braces for a potentially wet El Niño rainy season. This week, the city formally launched "Paso Prepared," a public education campaign designed to help households, ranchers and business owners get ahead of the storms that forecasters say could soak the Central Coast in the coming months.

The rollout comes with concrete steps behind it. At the Oct. 20 City Council meeting, county and city emergency officials briefed leaders on everything from a countywide storm task force to freshly cleared storm drains and expanded free sand sites, the Paso Robles Daily News reported. Video of the meeting is available on the city's YouTube channel for residents who want the full presentation.

Here's what Paso residents need to know.

A countywide effort, coordinated from San Luis Obispo

Scott Jalbert, director of the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services, told the council that a countywide storm task force is already up and running. The task force follows the four standard phases of emergency management — mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery — and pulls together city and county staff, public works departments, emergency managers, first responders and state agencies to share information and resources.

The county has designated ReadySLO.org as the central hub for preparedness information and alerts.

For a city like Paso Robles, which straddles the Salinas River and sits downstream from Lake Nacimiento, that kind of regional coordination matters. Flooding in the North County rarely respects city limits, and a shared task force means local officials aren't working alone when storms hit.

Goats, culverts and nearly 17 tons of debris

Fire Chief Jonathan Stornetta outlined the seasonal groundwork the city has already laid — some of it done by an unusual workforce.

This year, goats grazed 83.36 acres in the Salinas Riverbed and another 7.96 acres in Fern Canyon. The primary goal is reducing wildfire fuel, but clearing that vegetation also pays dividends for flood prevention: overgrown riverbeds and canyons can channel debris into storm channels when heavy rain arrives. City crews also remove or chip downed trees and other material that could block stormwater flow.

Before each rainy season, public works crews typically spend two to three weeks clearing vegetation and debris from culverts and drainage channels. This year, that effort pulled 16.88 tons of material from 69 drain inlets — debris that would otherwise have nowhere to go during a downpour but into streets and properties.

On the personnel side, city management staff completed an Emergency Operations Center tabletop exercise to walk through storm scenarios and clarify who does what. All city employees, as designated disaster service workers, are trained in the FEMA Incident Command System.

Sign up for alerts — officials' top ask

If there was one message both Jalbert and Stornetta hammered home, it was this: sign up for emergency alerts before you need them.

The county operates AlertSLO and a reverse 911 system that can push urgent notices — including evacuation orders — to phones in affected areas. Officials are encouraging residents to register for both systems at alertslo.org. It's free, and in an active flood or fire event it can be the difference between early warning and learning about danger too late.

Free sand, plus a chance to talk stormwater over coffee

The city has also made it easier for residents to protect their own properties. Free sand for sandbags is now available at two self-serve locations — Pioneer Park and Sherwood Park. There's a catch, though: residents need to bring their own empty sandbags, a shovel, and the ability to fill and haul the bags themselves. Full details are posted at prcity.com/sandbags.

For residents with questions about how the city handles drainage and flooding, there's an in-person option coming up soon. The city will host a "Coffee with the City" event focused on stormwater management and flood mitigation on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7:30 a.m. at Cal Coast Beer Company. No registration is required — just show up with questions.

What comes next

The Paso Prepared campaign will run through the El Niño season, with preparedness tips and emergency guidance posted on the city's social media channels as conditions develop. Officials are expected to keep the public updated as forecasts sharpen and the first major storms approach.

For longtime Paso residents, the preparations carry a familiar weight. The Salinas River corridor and low-lying neighborhoods have flooded before, and emergency planners have spent years refining how the region responds — work that's visible in the tabletop exercises, the interagency task force and the pre-positioned sand piles now sitting at two city parks.

The practical takeaway for residents is short: register for alerts at alertslo.org, bookmark ReadySLO.org for preparedness resources, pick up sandbags before the rain starts, and consider stopping by Cal Coast Beer Company on the morning of Oct. 30 to hear directly from the officials managing the city's flood defenses.

El Niño seasons are forecasts, not guarantees — but as this week's City Council update made clear, Paso Robles is treating this one as a matter of when, not if.