El Nino Information Sessions Offered

The city of Los Angeles will hold a free workshop Wednesday at the Sunland Municipal Building to offer Valley residents and business owners information on preparing for the upcoming winter storm season, city officials said.

Representatives from a variety of agencies, including the city Fire Department, Public Works Department and the Red Cross, will be on hand to make presentations and answer questions, officials said.

They will discuss erosion control, flood insurance, sandbagging and protecting property and personal safety, among other topics. Officials will also give out city phone numbers where residents can call for assistance before, during and after storms.

The Sunland workshop is part of a series of workshops being held citywide this month to help residents prepare for the potentially severe winter storms predicted by some scientists as a result of El Nino climatic conditions.

“Basically, there is a lot of discussion right now about El Nino. People are feeling anxious about it,” said David Mays, a spokesman for the Public Works Department.

“These meetings are designed for people to get the information they need so they don’t have to be afraid,” he said.

Mays said the Sunland meeting will be the first of several meetings to be held in the Valley. The time and locations of future meetings will be announced within two weeks, he said.

The city has also established a toll-free Winter Storm Preparation Information Line (1-888-356-4661) that includes information about upcoming meetings as well as recorded information on a variety of storm preparation subjects.

Similar information is also available on the city’s Web site at https://www.ci.la. ca.us