South Bay beach communities face heightened coastal flooding and erosion risk as Los Angeles County prepares for what forecasters call a potentially record El Niño season.

County departments outlined their storm-season plans at the Tuesday, Sept. 1 Board of Supervisors meeting, following an Aug. 11 motion by Supervisor Lindsey P. Horvath. The motion cited an 81% chance the season would become a "very strong" El Niño, per NOAA's Climate Prediction Center. ABC7 reported that NOAA has since raised the probability to greater than 90%.

Climate scientist Daniel Swain of UCLA said ocean temperatures in the eastern tropical Pacific are already the highest recorded for this time of year, according to MyNewsLA. Southern California could see some of the state's strongest El Niño effects, including increased coastal flooding and erosion, Swain said. The El Niño is expected to peak between October and December, with its greatest California effects from December through March or later.

Horvath's motion warns that warmer ocean waters lead to stronger storm surge, threatening coastal infrastructure and accelerated sediment loss at county beaches. The county's Department of Beaches and Harbors plans to build 15-foot sand berms to block surging waves from washing over flat beaches and into parking lots, according to the Daily News.

No South Bay cities were singled out as high-risk zones in the county's presentation. The motion specifically identifies communities near the Palisades, Franklin and Eaton fire burn scars as facing heightened flood and landslide risk.

LA County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said all 144 debris basins, channels and dams will be cleaned out and ready to hold water by Oct. 15, the start of the rainy season. He said 600 employees will be on 24/7 standby through April.

"This year, Public Works will be making the calls on evacuations. I will take that responsibility," Pestrella said at the Tuesday, Sept. 1 meeting.

Pestrella said his department has identified the most at-risk properties and will contact affected residents, especially those in burn scar areas, KTLA reported.

Kevin McGowan, director of the county Office of Emergency Management, urged residents to consider flood insurance. Standard homeowners policies do not cover flood damage, and flood insurance can take at least 30 days to go into effect, according to a preparedness advisory from Horvath's office.

Horvath will host a virtual town hall, "El Niño Town Hall: Know Before The Storm," on Monday, Sept. 28, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Details are available at Horvath's county website. Residents concerned about mud or debris-flow risk can call LA County Public Works at 1-800-933-0930 to speak with an engineer.