Long Beach, CA - In response to Hurricane Hilary, the Category 3 storm moving toward California, residents of Catalina Island are being advised to leave the island as a precaution. To assist Avalon, the City of Long Beach will open a temporary shelter to support people who have left the island and do not have any other shelter plans during this unprecedented weather event. The emergency shelter, located at Silverado Park (1545 W. 31st St.), will provide necessities including food, water and beds, as well as basic medical services and is currently set up to accommodate 75 individuals. If additional shelter need is identified, the City would open additional shelter sites throughout the City.
The temporary shelter is expected to receive its first participants midday today, Saturday Aug. 19, and could shelter people until officials deem it safe to return to the island. Shelter participants will be medically assessed upon arrival and will receive a variety of essential services and access to amenities including:
- Basic medical services and emergency services, if needed.Meals three times a day, as well as snacks.
- Access to water.
- Hygiene amenities including indoor and outdoor restrooms, personal hygiene kits and private shower facilities.
- Beds with blankets and pillows.
- Supplies for people evacuating with their pets.
This shelter will serve residents and visitors evacuating Catalina Island only. The island, which home to approximately 4,200 people, is only 22 miles from Long Beach, making our city well equipped to take on evacuees.
Silverado Park has been identified as an emergency shelter site by the City. Silverado Park was selected as it is closest to the Catalina Express, is the City’s largest identified emergency shelter in the City’s shelter plan, and is equipped with showers, cots and other materials needed to support evacuees. No park programming is being impacted this weekend. At any point, if park programming will be impacted due to this shelter or the pending storm, the City will make a public announcement and provide information to registered attendees of those programs. The storm is expected to arrive early Sunday morning, Aug. 20, and into Monday, Aug. 21.
The City has issued a
public notice with storm preparation advice for residents.
Long Beach residents are encouraged to sign up for
Alert Long Beach to receive emergency notifications from the City and to follow the City on
Facebook,
Instagram and
X (formerly Twitter) and follow #LBRain on social media for updates. If residents need additional information regarding Hurricane Hilary as it relates to Long Beach, they can call 562.570.INFO (4636), 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.