California declares emergency ahead of potentially historic El Niño

• California has declared a state of emergency to accelerate preparations for a potentially record-breaking El Niño season.

• State agencies have been directed to protect vulnerable communities, strengthen infrastructure and prepare for floods, landslides and coastal hazards.

• ECLAC warned that an extreme event could cost Latin America and the Caribbean at least 2 per cent of GDP and push another 4.8 million people into poverty.

California has declared a state of emergency as it prepares for a potentially historic El Niño season that could bring powerful winter storms, flooding and landslides.

The proclamation will mobilise state resources and accelerate preparations for severe weather and coastal flooding, the governor’s office said on Monday.

“The emerging El Niño event is already breaking records, and forecasters expect it to continue to strengthen, potentially becoming the strongest in recorded history,” the office said in a statement.

State agencies have been directed to protect vulnerable communities, prepare roads and other critical infrastructure, stockpile emergency supplies and support local authorities in reducing the risks posed by floods, landslides and coastal hazards.

Residents have been urged to register for emergency alerts and prepare evacuation plans.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern characterised by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific. It can disrupt weather systems across the world and bring wetter and more intense winters to California.

The emergency declaration comes as the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean warned that an extreme El Niño event could cause losses equivalent to at least 2 per cent of the region’s gross domestic product and push another 4.8 million people into poverty.

In a report titled The Effects of El Niño in Latin America and the Caribbean and Recommendations for Addressing It, ECLAC said a high-intensity event could have far-reaching economic, social and productive consequences.

Energy, agriculture, fisheries and infrastructure would be among the sectors most exposed to disruption, according to the Santiago-based UN agency.

ECLAC executive secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs warned that a high-intensity El Niño could have “severe economic and social repercussions” and significantly affect key industries across the region.

The agency said the greatest economic losses were likely to occur during the first year of the climate event, although its consequences could persist for considerably longer.

Falling household incomes could also increase poverty levels towards the end of the decade, it warned.

With IANS inputs