SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A local emergency was declared in San Francisco on Friday by Mayor Daniel Lurie as the city prepares for the possibility of a very strong El Niño winter. The declaration, according to the mayor’s office, will allow certain city departments to purchase “critical goods” and supplies using a faster, streamlined process. These items include flood barriers, pumps and generators, as well as first-aid and shelter supplies. “In addition, the declaration organizes city government under the Incident Command System, directs all departments to cooperate with requests from the city’s Emergency Operations Center, and allows the mayor to reallocate funds within and between departments as needed to meet the emergency,” wrote Lurie’s office. Key departments that will be allowed to use the streamlined procurement and contract awarding processes are listed as San Francisco Public Works, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Recreation and Park Department, San Francisco International Airport and the Office of Contract Administration. ‘Behemoth’ El Niño could be ‘off the charts,’ forecasters warn “Today, I am declaring a local emergency to ensure San Francisco is ready for the severe storms, flooding, and high tides that El Niño could bring this winter,” said Lurie. “We are acting now to make sure our departments have the resources they need to protect San Franciscans quickly throughout the season. We will continue preparing across city departments, and I’m asking every San Franciscan to do their part so we can keep our communities safe—because the time to prepare for a major storm is before it arrives.” The World Meteorological Organization said this week, “The current El Niño event could be unprecedented in strength – literally off the monitoring charts that we have used for the past four decades.” Sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that rise 0.5 degrees Celsius above normal can trigger an El Niño alert from the WMO, according to the United Nations. Between next month and January, WMO forecast temperatures could rise 3.8 degrees Celsius above average. San Franciscans are advised to prepare for potential power outages, gather sandbags for properties prone to flooding, and sign up for AlertSF. ...read more read less