AB 277: Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center.

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes, within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services, under the Director of Emergency Services for the purpose of mitigating the effects of natural, human-made, or war-caused emergencies.

Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources within the Natural Resources Agency and sets forth its powers and duties relating to water resources. Existing law establishes the Atmospheric Rivers: Research, Mitigation, and Climate Forecasting Program within the department to, upon appropriation of special fund moneys, research climate forecasting and the causes and impacts that climate change has on atmospheric rivers, to operate reservoirs in a manner that improves flood protection in the state, and to reoperate flood control and water storage facilities to capture water generated by atmospheric rivers.

This bill would establish the State-Federal Flood Operations Center within the Department of Water Resources and would authorize the department to administer the center in the departments divisions, offices, or programs. The bill would provide that the purpose of the center is to function as the focal point for gathering, analyzing, and disseminating flood and water-related information to stakeholders and would authorize the center to take specified actions for that purpose, including to function during emergency situations to enable the department to centrally coordinate statewide emergency responses.

This bill would require the center department and the Office of Emergency Services, in consultation with cooperating agencies, as defined, to develop and submit a report to the Legislature, as specified, on or before June October 1, 2025, that outlines necessary technological advancements for agile forecasting and identifies regions that are and were underserved, gaps in data that would improve flood response, and strategies for improving communication and emergency response to identified regions. response.