Carmel Valley residents prepare for predicted flooding from El Nino

Carmel Valley residents are no strangers to heavy rains and destructive flooding. But as a monster El Nino looms, people are getting ready.

“I have in my garage — all my electrical things are up high, my pictures are up on my second floor,” said Carmel Valley resident Joan Brophy Thomas.

Thomas said she wasn’t always this prepared. In 1995 her home filled up with four feet of water.

“I opened my underwear drawer and I had a dead fish in it. Everything was damaged,” said Thomas.

That’s why Thomas helped organize a community winter preparedness meeting at Carmel Middle School Wednesday night.

Many residents had concerns, but their number one question: What is Monterey County doing to prepare?

“We’ve done sand, we’ve done sandbags. There’s been some flood fighting training,” said Sherrie Collins with the Office of Emergency Services.

Over the last few months, county crews have also been clearing out drains and culverts. Right now they’re testing the land damaged by the Tassajara Fire to be ready for landslides.

“From that they will do some modeling to predict where we think the risk from flooding may occur and debris flows,” said Collins.

Thomas hopes it makes a difference and that this time people listen and prepare.

“We weren’t prepared at all. And this way we have alerted everyone to the horror that it is. It is a real horror,” said Thomas.