Time to prepare for El Niño winter
BY DENNY BARNEY
You’ve probably heard a lot of talk about El Niño lately. So what exactly is El Niño and how could it impact us here in Maricopa County?
Most of you know El Niño is a prolonged warming of the Pacific coastal waters that affects weather patterns, temperatures and rainfall around the globe. The historic pattern for Maricopa County in El Niño years has been unusually wet winters. This year, weather events resulting from El Niño are expected to be among the strongest on record since 1950 and we are hearing we will likely see increased thunderstorms possibly through April. Maricopa County is preparing for an El Niño winter and it’s a good idea for county residents to prepare also to keep family, pets and property safe. Here’s some helpful advice to consider:
Stay informed. Keep tuned to local radio
and TV stations and weather websites.
Create a family plan to stay in touch with your family and friends in the event of a flood (or any disaster).
• Don’t forget medicines and specialneeds items.
• Choose a meeting place in case you get separated.
• Plan for your pets, too.
Put together a “grab and go” emergency kit that includes food, water and first-aid supplies.
• For home: Generators, cash, gas storage for vehicles. Three days of water and food, first-aid kit, radio and mobile device chargers. Store important documents, zip drives, money and cellphone in waterproof Ziploc bags.
• For your car: Extra gas, a blanket, window breaking hammer. Check your tire treads and windshield wipers; consider replacement if needed.
Stay off the road during and after storms. Road closure information can be found at www.mcdot.maricopa.gov.
Prepare your home by keeping some basic supplies on hand.
• Keep sandbags, plywood and plastic sheeting around to protect from floodwaters and to make quick repairs after a severe storm.
• Elevate the air conditioner, furnace, water heater, electric panel and other valuables above the anticipated flood elevation. Work with professional
plumbers and electricians to ensure this is done properly.
Consider buying flood insurance because flood damage is not typically covered by homeowners’ policies. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) offers flood insurance, which can be purchased through the insurance agent who handles your homeowners’ policy. Note: There is a 30-day waiting period for a policy to go into effect.
Maricopa County remains diligent in its efforts to ensure the community is prepared. Our Flood Control District maintains 320 precipitation gages and operates 38 real-time weather stations throughout the region. These devices measure the amount and timing of rainfall along with combinations of
suggest you learn to use Google or other search engines to check out some of the “stuff” you hear on FOX.
As we remember our grandparents saying all through the 1940s, it’s the Russians that exacerbate the problems. The Russians have not moved on since the 1940s. It’s Putin’s fault. Shame on Putin. Shame on Russians who do not speak up. It’s the same old, same old. Shame on Russia.
I’m answering the person who is questioning my claim in October’s Sound Off that FOX News viewers are the most uninformed people around. I’m laughing at his/her statement that FOX News viewers are the most informed, intelligent Americans. Informed and intelligent should never be used to describe most FOX News junkies! For this reader’s information, I do tune in to FOX News now and then to catch their side of events, talking points and to listen to some of their experts give commentaries. One FOX expert that comes to mind is Wayne Simmons, their former resident CIA affairs expert. He reportedly had
previously worked for the CIA and had led some “deep cover intel ops,” etc. He was discovered to have never worked for the CIA and was finally fired after being exposed and arrested. But, to answer the Sound Off reader’s question, I did a quick search on Google, typing in the words “uninformed FOX News viewers.” I stopped counting at 100 articles. There is page after page with articles citing various polls that showed FOX News viewers being less informed. Some of the polls I saw listed were Gallup, Fairleigh Dickinson University, NPR, Pew Research Center, University of Maryland and worldpublicopinion. org. There were others. So, FOX viewer, I
Hillary Clinton’s top aid warned in an email to a state department staffer that Hillary is often confused. Why would anyone vote for this woman who has had a head injury, who is under investigation for her emails, and lying to the American people and the families of the four dead Americans that the attack as caused by a video. Why anyone would vote for that woman is beyond me.
Barack Obama’s strategy for fighting ISIS is going to Paris for the global conference on global warning. This will send a severe rebuke to the terrorists. I believe this president is certifiably insane.
temperature, humidity, and wind speed/ direction which are transmitted to a central location every 15 to 30 minutes. This data is continuously monitored and can be used to issue storm alerts and inform local jurisdictions and public safety officials to take necessary action. Be informed and prepared this winter. Have a plan in place before the next flooding event. As the old saying goes, “A danger foreseen is half avoided.” For more storm status and preparation information, visit www.fcd.maricopa.gov and ready. gov/floods.
Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.
See and listen to the tapes of the Flagstaff brouhaha. Then listen to the prosecutor demand $2 million bond. Shame on him, hot head. Listen to what really happened in Flagstaff. There is no such justice in a court like that. It’s already decided. Prosecutor needs to be prosecuted himself.
Fifty million people are supposed to be watching the Macy’s parade around the world. What do you think Americans do when they’re threatened by people like ISIS? They have a parade and not a sign of a military weapon in it. They’re singing and dancing and having a good time. We’re not afraid of your crazy people. You shouldn’t be afraid of them either. Have a parade. Throw flowers, not bullets.
I’ll bet there aren’t many senior citizens who know Black Friday means the color of ink business people want to see on their end-of-theyear books. Red means loss, black means profit.
The press is finally understanding it’s the ammunition not the guns that the politicians need to take care of. Get to work or get out of office.
People can complain about Trump being rude and ignorant, but the rudest people on television are the McLaughlin group [political pundits on PBS]. They are so unbelievably bad mannered. It’s hard to believe they’re all experts. It’s just disgusting, never mind disturbing.
How disappointing to see the final assault on Channel 8 when privileged money can now buy the sixth season of “Downton Abbey” that so many people followed. The rest of the fans will politely wait for the sequel to end. It’s just another sign of America’s loss of once better matters for better business. Sorry Channel 8. We’ll be crossing you off our list.
All day long, crazy people are demanding answers for unanswerable crimes that people can commit. Holy moly what’s going wrong with America, except thank goodness you can change to another station. You can see and hear Christmas carols and the tree being lit at Rockefeller Center. America’s OK. It’s the crazy people who are not.
Question: what’s wrong with 94 percent of the normal public doing about the 6 percent of NRA believers? Why aren’t they annoying these few people to destroy the piece of
America. Ninety-four percent of you are saying nothing about gun control. Are you voting for peace?
How many more Americans need to be murdered by Islamic terrorists before Obama will admit that they have declared war on us and the free world. What is the matter with this man? It’s just further proof that he sides with Islam. He will not say “Islamic terrorists.” The mass killing in San Bernardino was not workplace violence. It was a terrorist attack by Islamics.
Right now being shown on TV are reporters going through the apartment of the people involved in the killings in California. Talk about invasive press. Why is this being allowed by the FBI? They’re handling moving, identifying and going through personal objects. Where are the police to drag these reporters out of this apartment that should be sealed How crazy can the press get to be.
Congress finally voted to fix America’s roads and bridges and it credits itself so Republicans can be voted into the White House. Get there, blame the president for spending all that money. Do they really think the Americans don’t see the duplicity?
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