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Corte Madera staff outline short‑term flood preparedness and Marina Village berm priority after January floods
Summary
Staff outlined communications planning, sandbag and barrier staging, public-works yard repairs, homeowner outreach on raising houses and a priority design start for reinforcing the Marina Village flood berm; $200,000 is budgeted to begin topographic and boundary surveys while staff pursues FEMA and other grants.
Corte Madera staff on May 19 presented an extended update on flood response, recovery and preparedness one season after January’s inundation, emphasizing short‑term readiness and long‑term shoreline adaptation priorities.
Phoebe (climate adaptation coordinator) summarized community feedback from a January flood workshop attended by roughly 80 residents and said staff will develop a communications playbook, outreach materials about how homeowners can prepare and a flood-preparedness vendor fair. She said the town expects King Tide events this winter (staff cited an expected event around Thanksgiving and a potentially higher tide around Christmas Eve) and is prioritizing public notice, physical A‑frames and message boards, and expanded pre‑staged outreach.
Public Works staff described near-complete repairs to the public-works corporation yard: removal of flood-damaged drywall and asbestos abatement, temporary trailers for staff, relocation of equipment and new electrical outlets raised above prior flood levels. Staff said remaining work includes epoxy flooring, fixtures replacement and reseating office furniture and equipment.
Short-term preparedness measures listed included increasing on-call staffing during anticipated flood events, stockpiling sandbags and supplies, and deploying portable physical barriers to close roads in Mariner Cove to prevent vehicles from creating damaging wakes.
For longer-term adaptation, staff identified reinforcing the Marina Village flood berm as the highest priority project and said the town has applied for FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance and other state grants; the town also applied for a Marin Community Foundation pilot grant that would fund early design work. Staff reported the town has $200,000 budgeted to begin a topographic and property-boundary survey and to start preliminary designs; additional grant awards would support deeper design and environmental work.
Residents at the meeting pressed for clearer emergency communications and interim property-level protections. Roy Wolff and Bob Bundy urged town-supported interim measures and emphasized the need for a continuous perimeter berm with flood gates and pumps to protect infrastructure; staff said they will pursue property-boundary surveys in Marina Village (Harbor Drive area) to determine whether berm portions sit on private or public land and will prioritize short‑term measures there.
What’s next: Staff will finalize the communications playbook, stage supplies and barriers ahead of the next high‑tide season, pursue grant funding and start the Marina Village survey and initial design work using the $200,000 budgeted appropriation.
