(KRON) -- The town of Corte Madera hosted a flood preparedness fair Saturday to help residents protect their homes, businesses and families ahead of anticipated winter weather risks. The event comes as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts a strong El Niño pattern will cont inue through the winter. With San Francisco Bay situated directly behind the community, upcoming high tides pose an increased risk of severe road and property flooding across the region. The community event aimed to connect neighbors with protective resources before severe weather arrives. Sachi Itagaki, a homeowner on the Bay side of Mariner Cove and vice chair of Corte Madera's Flood Control Board, raised her house four feet off the ground in 2024 to protect it from rising water. At the event, she displayed flood barriers and photos on her phone showing the severity of local flooding. “That's kind of what we do here on the Bay side of Mariner Cove,” Itagaki said. She recalled a January 2026 flood that breached her property while her family was away, prompting town officials to include practical safety steps at the event. “In January of this year, in 2026, we weren't even home, but we probably had a couple of inches of water in our garage, so as part of the demonstration of the Flood Fair, the town public works did a sandbag installation,” Itagaki said. Itagaki also pointed to recent water level spikes near the Richmond tide gate as evidence of how quickly conditions can change. “Last week, about ten days ago, there was a predicted 6.1 tide, and it ended up being 7.8 at the Richmond tide gate, so that's enough to cover this straight with water,” Itagaki said. El Niño threat prompts local emergency in San Francisco Flooding in the area creates logistical challenges even for residents who live above the water line. Claudia, a Corte Madera resident who lives across the street from Itagaki, noted that high water frequently shuts down key thoroughfares. “I got stuck in the horrific traffic last year on January 3rd, when we had all the flooding over here, you know, 2 hours to get out of Marin,” Claudia said. Experts at the fair advised residents to keep a bicycle ready, park vehicles in safe locations and stock up on food and essentials to prepare for potential isolation during heavy flooding. “I was telling a friend about this, 'Oh, I don't need to go', and he says, Well, how are you going to get out? If you're up the hill and you need to get up the freeway, how are you going to get to Paradise Drive?” Claudia said. Despite the ongoing threat of seasonal water hazards, she remains attached to the area, adding, “It's going to take a lot before I leave California.” All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published. ...read more read less