San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a local emergency on Friday, October 23, 2026, to speed up the city's preparations for El Niño storm conditions, flooding and high tides expected this winter. The move clears procedural hurdles so city departments can move faster on everything from sandbags to backup generators before the rain starts falling in earnest.
The declaration, confirmed by CBS News, suspends certain city contracting requirements so departments can secure storm-preparation goods and services without the usual red tape. As KION reports, the order streamlines procurement and contract awarding so the city can quickly obtain flood barriers, pumps and generators, while also letting departments stockpile first-aid, shelter and portable-restroom supplies. The order also lets Lurie reallocate funds within and between departments as needed during the emergency, per KRON4.
More than half a dozen agencies fall under the streamlined rules, including Public Works, the Public Utilities Commission, the Port of San Francisco, SFMTA, Recreation and Park, San Francisco International Airport and the Office of Contract Administration, according to ABC7 News. KQED's reporting notes the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management is coordinating preparations citywide and has asked departments to prepare for possible staffing disruptions and identify service gaps.
Why City Officials Are Moving Now
The urgency traces back to forecasts describing what could be an unusually powerful El Niño. The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center has estimated an 83% chance of a record-breaking El Niño through year-end, per KQED's reporting, while the World Meteorological Organization has said the current event could be unprecedented in strength, according to KRON4. Elevated water levels are expected in San Francisco from Tuesday through Saturday, the San Francisco Standard reports.
Department of Emergency Management Executive Director Mary Ellen Carroll told the Standard her department is preparing for rain, strong winds and high water levels. “Pick up your sandbags now. Find your flashlights and extra batteries. Get those leaves out of your storm drains,” Carroll said, according to the same outlet. Carroll also said the emergency declaration prevents procedural obstacles from impeding preparations, per KQED, and has asked residents to prepare for a wet winter.
Mayor Lurie has said resources obtained ahead of severe weather can help protect city facilities and support a rapid response, and that San Francisco is preparing to keep essential services running during storms, according to KQED. California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency in September, KQED reports, setting the stage for local governments across the region to follow suit.
Infrastructure Under Strain
A UC Davis report found that low-lying Bay Area areas are extremely vulnerable to floods and failure this winter, per KQED, naming the runways at San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport, Highway 37 and the eastern approach of the Bay Bridge as particularly exposed. The same UC Davis report found that at two to three feet of sea-level rise, portions of those airports along with Corte Madera, San Rafael and West Oakland could begin to flood temporarily. Researchers also warned that a levee failure along the Petaluma River could close Highway 37 and leave a six-square-mile agricultural area up to three feet underwater.
About 40,000 cars use Highway 37 each day, and UC Davis researchers estimate closing the highway could carry an economic impact exceeding $1.5 million per day. The Mercury News reports that weather models project January-to-March rainfall at 165% of normal in Northern California, with Northern California potentially seeing sea levels two to three feet above normal this winter. Flooding also threatens Bay Area marshes and wildlife, including the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse and Ridgway's rail, per the UC Davis report.
City Upgrades and Transit Adjustments
San Francisco Public Works has completed sewer and water upgrades across roughly 1.4 million miles of sewer pipes this month, work the city expects to reduce flood risk, according to KQED's reporting. Emergency Management has also teamed up with the Department of Technology to add features to the city's severe-storm map showing evacuation routes and supply sites.
SFMTA is adding maintenance and protective equipment ahead of severe weather and will adjust service as storms hit, potentially replacing rail and trolley service with buses, per the same KQED report. Public Works is also offering free sandbags to residents, KION notes, and eligible property owners affected by flooding from public rights-of-way or sewer backflow can apply for up to $100,000 in SFPUC Floodwater Management Grant Program funding toward flood-protection projects.
What Residents Are Being Told to Do
City officials are urging residents to prepare for power outages, elevate belongings stored in basements or garages, and sign up for AlertSF, per the Standard. KQED reports San Francisco has also advised residents to follow National Weather Service forecasts and check their flood insurance, since policies typically carry a 30-day waiting period before coverage begins, as CBS News notes. The city has scheduled a free business-preparedness webinar for November 4 at 10 a.m., according to KION.
San Francisco is not alone in bracing for the season. Valley Water has declared its own El Niño emergency in Santa Clara County, delivering 24,000 sandbags to five locations for free distribution and completing about 150 stream-maintenance projects over the summer, per ABC7's report. San José, which faced a mass flooding event in 2017, is also preparing for heavy rain and potential flooding, according to KQED, while the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has issued its own emergency declaration, per the Mercury News.
The emergency declaration gives city departments a freer hand to move fast — leaving residents to do their part by clearing drains, stocking sandbags and watching the skies.
