Officials on preparedness ahead of weekend storm: “We’re 100% ready”
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. (KESQ) – Cathedral City’s fire chief is confident in the preparations his department has taken. With the potential for flooding in the forecast from the remnants of Tropical Storm Rachel, those preparedness steps could prove to be critical this weekend.
“We don’t get to choose what calls we get to go to, so we’re 100% ready,” said Chief Michael Contreras.
He pointed to lessons learned from Tropical Storm Hilary. While that storm ravaged parts of Cathedral City – and much of the Coachella Valley – in 2023, the chief said the department stepped up, performing rescues and preventing any fatalities. In its wake, the department has prioritized training, command and control, and adding several key partners to its contact book.
“You can’t prepare for a thousand-year flood. But, you know, we were able to respond. We had no loss of life. And we were able to rescue all the people that needed to be rescued,” the chief explained. “From there, We started looking at what we call our deployment model, like what resources do we have and how can we deploy them.”
Contreras said he has sent over 20 of his personnel to be trained in swiftwater rescues since his department received a federal grant in 2025. Equipment, like a boat, has also been ordered to be used in such rescues.
“We’re kind of front loading our training to train up all of our personnel first, and then we’re slowly securing the rest of our equipment through different fundings and grants,” said Capt. Christopher Dietz, with the Cathedral City Fire Department. He was one of the 20 who trained in Chico, California. Sent in groups of 3 to 5, he was in the middle of the pack of those who trained.
“It’s a humbling experience. A lot of us thought that we were pretty strong swimmers. And of course in a swimming pool, everybody feels pretty heroic. But it’s a little different when you got fast moving water,” he said.
Pre-planning is a key component, too. Leaders within the fire department have ran through different scenarios on where they would stage equipment and crews in the event of flooding. Plans have been drawn up on the mutual aid partners Cathedral City Fire can rely on for different emergencies. Whether that’s contacting the Palm Springs Fire Department for assistance or requesting a helicopter from CAL FIRE, the chief said the department has great local partners that can help.
Leaders also attend a weekly situational awareness meeting with the National Weather Service on the weather threats that could be coming.
The chief pointed out that even if this weekend’s storm doesn’t bring significant rainfall, all of this preparation will still be relevant with El Niño forecasted to bring wetter-than-usual conditions through at least February of next year.
“It’s diligence, you know, keeping our eye on the ball, keeping focused on what is going on around us and not having that apathy to where, ‘Oh, this is just another, you know, it’s just another storm. It’s no big deal.'” Chief Contreras said. He committed, “We have to be on our game every time.”
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