Tiburon announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, that two free sandbag stations are open following downtown tidal flooding. The move is part of a broader push to prepare for what the town warns could be a severe El Niño winter.
The stations are at the Blackie's Pasture parking lot and the Teather Park parking lot on Beach Road, according to a town alert. Residents can help themselves at either location. A guide on how to fill and stack sandbags properly is available at TownofTiburon.gov.
The town cited record-breaking king tides, an active El Niño and a Kelvin wave moving up the California coast as factors driving higher sea levels and flood risk this winter. Tidal flooding struck downtown Tiburon on Sunday, Oct. 11.
The sandbag stations follow a $75,000 budget amendment the Town Council approved in a 3-0 vote in September to buy storm response and emergency preparedness supplies, the Marin Independent Journal reported. Mayor Jon Welner and Councilmember Holli Thier were absent from that vote.
The planned purchases include temporary flood barriers, a towable trash pump for removing water and litter from flooded areas, a portable light tower, a programmable message board and traffic control devices such as cones and barriers.
"None of this stuff is perishable, so even if we don't use it this year, we'll have it," Councilmember Jack Ryan said at the meeting.
Patrick Kerslake, a Tiburon public works manager, wrote in a staff report that the town's low-lying areas, shoreline infrastructure and drainage vulnerabilities warranted the additional investment. The funding comes from the town's capital equipment reserve fund.
The concern extends across southern Marin. Sophia Merrifield of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography warned at a town hall hosted by state Sen. Mike McGuire that the combination of El Niño and king tides could produce "likely the highest sea levels ever recorded on the California coast associated with this event," according to Marin County’s Aug. 14 announcement. The county cautioned that El Niño does not guarantee an individual severe weather event. Neighboring Belvedere is also exploring temporary flood barriers ahead of the winter storm season, the Marin Independent Journal reported.
Residents who spot a drainage system malfunction causing flooding on public property can call the Department of Public Works at 415-435-7399. After business hours, the Tiburon Police Department can be reached at 415-789-2800.
