Provider Alerts

California is bracing for a series of storms that are predicted to result in severe weather, with potentially damaging winds, heavy rain, and flooding. The National Weather Service is closely monitoring weather conditions, but has issued notification regarding locations at risk of severe weather impacts including:

• Consumnes River in Sacramento County
• Tuolumne River in Stanislaus County (City of Modesto is an area of
  concern)
• Bear Creek in Merced County (McKee Road in Merced is an area of
  concern

HPSJ is requesting your assistance, especially from our Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports (CS) providers as they support high needs populations including individuals at risk or experiencing homelessness, to provide information and ensure that our communities and unhoused neighbors are aware of the pending severe weather this week.

As part of local response efforts, we are circulating the following guidance:

• Please ensure to communicate that there may be severe weather conditions in this week such as high winds, severe flooding, and landslides, along with snow and blizzard conditions at higher elevations.
• Follow @Cal_OES and our local emergency officials for real-time updates about the storm and its threats.
• Sign up for local alerts at http://calalerts.org/
• Please ensure to communicate to take the advice of local officials. If evacuation orders are issued, please evacuate.
• People who are at risk or experiencing homelessness, including people living next to riverbeds and roadways, are most vulnerable to these storm threats.
• Encourage those at risk or those experiencing homelessness to seek shelter immediately and provide them with transportation where possible.
  • A real-time, interactive river flow and flood map is available at: https://cnrfc.noaa.gov/
• Utilize and offer resources available that include information regarding local shelters or warming centers with open beds. Please see page three attachment for local shelter and emergency services.
• During inclement weather, the priority should be on (1) ensuring people’s safety in emergencies and (2) easing proactive access to shelter and removing all possible barriers.
  • Allow people to keep any belongings that may assist them in an emergency (e.g., shelters, medications, clothing, etc.), or provide safe storage, encouraging leniency and adaptability on your part to the maximum appropriate extent.
  • Allow partners and family members to stay together.
  • Allow pets in the shelters whenever possible.
• If the resources are available, use the shelter as an opportunity for outreach workers and service providers to build a relationship with people experiencing homelessness that can be used as a pathway to permanent housing.
• An emergency resource guide is available at,
  (https://www.chhs.ca.gov/blog/2023/01/04/calhhs-emergency-resource-guide/) for vulnerable populations that can be leveraged by both individuals and communities. It is not too late to be prepared.
• We recommend you review resources on preparing for cold weather events including this tip sheet on staying safe during floods
  (https://nhchc.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/08/FloodV2.pdf) from the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.

In addition to the guidance above, we are requesting that our ECM and CS provider partners continue coordination of referrals and service delivery per guidelines.

Please see page three here for additional resources, shelter and emergency information that can be posted, printed, and shared with members.

If you have any questions, please contact your Provider Services Representative, or call our Customer Service Department at 1-888-936-PLAN (7526). You may also visit www.hpsj.com/alerts for online access to the documents shared.