Glendale Unified readies itself for strong El Niño conditions
A woman and her child try to stay dry while walking to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School on a rainy morning, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014.
Glendale Unified school officials have been preparing the district’s campuses for the arrival of El Niño storm systems and the property damages they could bring.
Workers have spent recent weeks cleaning debris from school roofs and gutters, and have trimmed trees or entirely removed the ones that were weakened or “distressed,” said Kent Smith, Glendale Unified’s director of facilities and support operations, in a news release.
Smith said stormwater runoff systems have been cleared at all of the district’s roughly 30 sites. A trailer has been equipped with a satellite phone to allow for emergency communications if the regional cellular network should fail, and 400 sandbags are ready to be employed as needed to deal with potential mudslides.
The El Niño weather pattern, which could bring wetter than average conditions, is expected to last through the spring 2016, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
“Schools are being assessed for possible flooding,” Smith said. “Beyond that, we have first responder trucks and our emergency response trailer has been updated with supplies.”
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Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com
Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
