Ed. Note: The following is a press release provided by the office of Mayor Michael D. Antonovich

The 2015 El Niño is expected to rival the intensity of the record breaking El Niño of 1997, with the possibility of causing major damage to the Santa Clarita Valley.

A motion by Mayor Michael D. Antonovich and Supervisor Hilda Solis directing county departments to report on the county’s plan to prepare, respond and recover from the predicted El Niño weather event was unanimously approved.  The report will include the status of capacity at the County’s flood-control facilities and a plan for maximizing storm water capture and retention.

“With a forecasted El Niño season approaching, we will be directing county departments to take every precaution necessary to protect life and property,” Antonovich said.

Related: California Weather Reports Showing Signs Of Rain, El Nino This Winter

“According to experts, satellite measures show that this El Nino is expected to be more powerful than previous ones, and we need to be ready,” said Supervisor Solis.  “With a 85-90 percent chance of El Niño hitting this winter or next Spring, we need to evaluate the health of our first responders and have a plan in place to deal with damages that El Niño will incur to our region.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center, there is greater than a 90% chance that El Niño will hit this winter and around an 85% chance it will last into early spring.  The NOAA also predicted that this El Nino could rival the intensity of the record 1997 event that wreaked weather-related havoc across the globe, causing 17 deaths and more than half a billion dollars in damage in California.