Sidebar on storm story: Police chief commends team of employees for their work during storms
City provided roughly 118 tons of sand and 6,000 sandbags to the public.
Photo courtesy city of Gilroy
By Pedro Espinoza
Pedro Espinoza
The city of Gilroy took a collaborative preparation approach once learning the magnitude of the storm. Our Emergency Services Coordinator participated in Inclement Weather Operational conference calls throughout the duration of the storm that provided critical information disseminated to our community members. Our Gilroy Fire Department personnel monitored the Uvas Creek levels to ensure potential flood preparation measures.
Prior to the storm, the police and fire department’s drone team conducted precautionary creek flyovers to ensure that anyone within those low-lying areas were warned of the impending storm and potential for flooding. Our officers with the Community Engagement Team (CET) walked the creeks and contacted numerous unhoused individuals to warn them of the predicted severe weather and advised them to move their encampments out of potential flood areas. Public Works teams assessed potential problem areas, cleared out local sewer drains and culverts, and built protective barriers to prevent potential issues.
During the storm, officers monitored flooded areas, helped coordinate road closures with public works, assisted disabled motorists, and provided essential information for public safety messaging and the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which was at partial activation. Our Public Works teams also responded 24/7 to localized flooding issues, downed trees, and potholes. They also provided roughly 118 tons of sand and 6,000 sandbags to the public.
Gilroy’s Public Safety Communicators/Dispatchers did an outstanding job handling the high volume of weather-related calls in addition to their normally busy workloads. They also dealt with phone line outages in the Communications Center and were able to switch to cell phones to continue providing service to our community.
Our teams did an outstanding job of keeping up with a high volume of requests for service, keeping our streets clear, and keeping our sewer systems draining during a very difficult and relentless storm. This was a city-wide effort. I commend everyone involved. We know it is not the last storm, and we will respond accordingly to the next.
Click HERE to read Gilroy Life’s main story on the storm
Pedro Espinoza is the Gilroy Police Chief. He wrote this for Gilroy Life.
