By Mary O’KEEFE

El Niño isn’t coming, it’s already here – and it’s not a regular size event but a super-sized one. 

Ocean water continues to warm. As of press time the temperature in the Pacific, close to our shores, was 73 degrees F. That data is taken from buoys not far off our shores, according to NOAA. 

The average temperature of our ocean water is 59 to 65 degrees F. So yes, the ocean is heating up. Ocean water is what feeds the storms that develop in Baja and Mexico, making them stronger. Those stronger storms, although they won’t or haven’t reached our shores, have caused some chaos nonetheless. NOAA is warning of high swells along the coast and possible flooding. 

The warm waters fuel tropical storms and hurricanes longer, allowing them to grow. Like Rachel, which was a tropical storm as of Monday, is now a hurricane category 1. It is expected to bring heavy rain to the southwest including Arizona and Utah. We are expected to get some rain early next week as well. But prior to that Rachel will bring to our coastline big waves and dangerous surf. 

“So when Rachel finally decays into just a tropical depression, we’ll start to see some of that moisture streaming into Southern California,” said a NOAA meteorologist. 

Rain could hit us maybe late Sunday but more likely into early next week, according to NOAA. 

For some reason, some people like to compartmentalize the world. What happens in Hawaii doesn’t affect us; heck, what happens in Arizona doesn’t affect us and, of course, we are at least an hour from the beach so “Yes, we feel bad’ for those who live there but we are in the mountains and have our own issues. 

It is absolutely important that we put our oxygen mask on first to protect ourselves – the theory is we are then able to be healthy enough to help others – but as I have written over and over again we are all connected. 

“The ocean drives global weather by absorbing most of the sun’s heat, storing it and moving it around the planet,” according to the World Meteorological Organization.

So again – what happens in the ocean affects us all – even if you do not think El Niño is going to affect us. In 1982-83 there was a strong El Niño that resulted in havoc up and down the coast. 

According to reports, this was the most destructive coastal event in history. We had huge surf and flooded streets, piers collapsed and beaches disappeared.

I was in Southern California at the time and would see the destruction firsthand. I especially remember the Santa Monica Pier being ripped apart by heavy waves. We saw the coast eroding and houses being red tagged. The famous Cosentino’s Nursery suffered from repeated flooding in 1982-83. 

We need to remember how powerful these storms can be. We need to remember that it was just over a year ago that our neighbors suffered a devastating fire that, if the winds had just shifted slightly, would have been on our doorsteps. The vegetation has not grown back, leaving a lot of empty areas full of dirt that will turn to mud with rainfall. These are our neighbors that we must learn from; we must not only take the Eaton Fire as our most recent warning. 

I have been a member of the CV Fire Safe Council (CVFSC) for many years. It started in 2009 just prior to the Station Fire. The CV Fire Safe Council has been around for a long time though not active; however, now we have a new board and are ready to help build a new fire safe community. We also have an arm of CVFSC called CV Ready, which expands our reach – not just for fire but to be prepared for any emergency. 

We are holding our first public meeting with our new board on Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. I invite everyone to come to this meeting to share fire safety knowledge. A representative from LA County Fire Dept. will be on hand to talk about readiness. We have invited other fire and emergency responders to join us at the meeting. It is important to be prepared for what our future holds not just regarding wildfires but other disasters, too. We need, as a community, to work together to help not only ourselves – putting on the oxygen mask first – but to be strong enough to help support our neighbors. 

The CVFSC meeting will be held at St. Luke’s of the Mountains/Sadler Hall. Please come and see what is being done, what can be done and, if interested, how you can get involved. 

The extreme heat warning continues through to tonight at 8 p.m. with a high around 95 and low of 73. Friday is a tiny bit cooler – about 90 – and then on Saturday we will see a real difference with a drop down to 79 for our high. 

Due to Hurricane Rachel, we will see some rain on maybe Saturday night then all the way through to Tuesday. Temperatures will be much cooler with a dip to 65 on Monday.