Newsom to sign order protecting Pacific Coast Highway from El Niño’s powerful storms

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

California Gov. Gavin Newsom will sign an executive order Tuesday to protect the iconic Pacific Coast Highway from the impacts of El Niño-related storms as a potentially stormy winter approaches.

This action comes on the heels of the Democratic governor’s state of emergency declaration issued on Sept. 21 , which freed up resources to prepare for what is predicted to be the strongest El Niño event on record to affect California.

El Niño is a naturally occurring climate cycle characterized by hotter than normal ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean and altered winds and precipitation patterns along the equator. El Niño has ripple effects on weather patterns worldwide, contributing to a variety of extreme weather events. It can cause flooding in some regions and drought in others.

While an intense El Niño does not necessarily mean related extreme weather events will be stronger, it does increase the odds that these extremes will occur.

One of the hallmarks of El Nino is its potential to send powerful, moisture-laden storms into the Golden State that bring high winds, towering waves and heavy rainfall, all of which threaten the stability of coastal transportation corridors like Highway 1.

High waves have already caused erosion to eat away at the scenic highway. El Niño-driven high tides and pounding surf can significantly worsen such erosion to the point where some coastal roads and rail lines are no longer safe to travel on.

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The order will create a Highway 1 task force, led by the state transportation and natural resources agencies, to prepare the roadway for coastal storms and tackle longer-term climate change risks.

“Highway 1 is more than our nation’s most iconic roadway. It keeps our coastal economy moving,” Newsom said in a statement. “It gets people to work, children to school, goods to local businesses, first responders where they’re needed, and visitors to our legendary beaches.”

“We know what repeated closures cost these communities, and we’re putting state agencies to work now to reduce the danger before storms hit,” Newsom said.

Newsom also will sign another executive order that builds upon the September emergency proclamation, to help communities prepare for storms before they arrive. The order will give state agencies additional tools to reduce flood risks and protect critical infrastructure from the potential impacts of El Niño.

艾伦·J·沙本/洛杉矶时报/盖蒂图片社

加州州长加文·纽森将于周二签署一项行政命令，以保护标志性的太平洋海岸公路免受厄尔尼诺现象相关风暴的影响，因为一个可能风暴肆虐的冬季即将到来。

此前，民主党州长于 9 月 21 日发布了紧急状态声明，释放了资源，为应对预计将影响加利福尼亚州的有史以来最强厄尔尼诺现象做好准备。

厄尔尼诺现象是一种自然发生的气候周期，其特征是热带太平洋海域水温高于正常水平，以及赤道附近风向和降水模式发生改变。厄尔尼诺现象会对全球天气模式产生连锁反应，导致各种极端天气事件的发生。它会导致一些地区发生洪水，而另一些地区则发生干旱。

虽然强烈的厄尔尼诺现象并不一定意味着相关的极端天气事件会更强烈，但它确实会增加这些极端天气事件发生的概率。

厄尔尼诺现象的一个显著特征是它有可能将威力强大的、富含水汽的风暴带到加利福尼亚州，带来强风、巨浪和暴雨，所有这些都威胁到像 1 号公路这样的沿海交通走廊的稳定性。

巨浪已经造成侵蚀，逐渐蚕食这条风景优美的公路。厄尔尼诺现象引发的高潮和巨浪会显著加剧这种侵蚀，以至于一些沿海公路和铁路线已不再安全通行。

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该命令将成立一个由州交通和自然资源机构牵头的1号公路工作组，负责为沿海风暴做好道路准备，并应对更长期的气候变化风险。

“1号公路不仅仅是我们国家最具标志性的公路，它还维系着我们沿海经济的运转，”纽森在一份声明中说。“它运送人们上班，孩子们上学，货物运往当地企业，急救人员赶到需要的地方，游客也前往我们著名的海滩。”

“我们知道反复封路会给这些社区造成多大的损失，现在我们正在让州政府各部门着手减少风暴来袭前的危险，”纽森说。

纽森还将签署另一项行政命令，该命令以9月份的紧急状态声明为基础，旨在帮助社区做好应对风暴的准备。该命令将赋予州政府机构更多工具，以降低洪水风险并保护关键基础设施免受厄尔尼诺现象的潜在影响。