Corte Madera has opened a second sandbag station and scheduled a free Flood Preparedness Fair for Oct. 24. The moves come as the town braces for fall king tides and potential El Niño impacts.

The seasonal sandbag station at the San Clemente Park parking lot on Paradise Drive opened Thursday, Oct. 1, according to the town's sandbag information page. The year-round station at Fire Station No. 14, 342 Tamalpais Drive, remains open. The town says sandbags can help protect against low-flow flooding up to 2 feet, but they do not form a watertight seal. Higher flows require a more permanent structure.

The Flood Preparedness Fair runs Saturday, Oct. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Cove School, 330 Golden Hind Passage, according to the town's official event listing. Attendees can compare flood barriers, learn about elevating homes and speak with public safety representatives.

Groups staffing the fair include the Marin County Office of Emergency Management, Central Marin Police Authority, the Central Marin Neighborhood Response Group, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Central Marin Community Resiliency Team.

In its October newsletter, the town cited fall king tides and potential El Niño impacts in announcing the fair. It said approaching winter weather and seasonal king tides prompted the early opening of the San Clemente Park station.

Those concerns are grounded in recent experience. In early January 2026, low-lying areas of Corte Madera saw extensive flooding from a combination of king tides, storm surge, rainfall runoff and strong winds. Public Works crews delivered more than 1,200 sandbags and roughly 30 to 35 tons of sand during that event.

Then-Town Manager Adam Wolff wrote in a Jan. 9, 2026, community message that "the flooding damage could have been much worse if not for the dedicated staff in our Public Works Department." Public Works crews, he wrote, "delivered more than 1,200 sandbags and approximately 30 to 35 tons of sand to our sandbag stations."

Following the flooding, a U.S. Small Business Administration disaster declaration covering Marin County allowed qualifying homeowners, renters and businesses to seek low-interest recovery loans. A Jan. 28, 2026, Flood Recovery Workshop at Cove School drew about 80 people.

A July 2026 town advisory reported that June king tides had been about 0.8 feet above predictions. The town attributed the difference to El Niño-related ocean warming and windy conditions.

The town recommends keeping gutters and nearby storm drains free of debris, checking how water drains around homes and relocating vehicles and valuables that could be exposed to flooding.

How to prepare

• Sandbags: San Clemente Park parking lot, Paradise Drive (seasonal, open now). Fire Station No. 14, 342 Tamalpais Drive (year-round).
• Flood Preparedness Fair: Saturday, Oct. 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cove School, 330 Golden Hind Passage, Corte Madera. Free. Event details and registration.