Salinas >> Monterey County emergency response officials emerged from a briefing with the National Weather Service on Thursday warning of the possibility of up to 10-15 inches of rain within a 24-hour period from an “atmospheric river” starting late Saturday and continuing into Sunday, dumping on the areas of Big Sur burned by last summer’s Soberanes Fire.

New county Office of Emergency Services director Gerry Malais and county public works interim director Benny Young warned about the potential for damage to communities and public infrastructure as a result of landslide and debris flow triggered by heavy rains carving up a landscape denuded by the months-long wildfire that swept through the region.

Young also pointed out the watershed has been “pre-wetted” by previous winter storms, increasing the possibility of slides, and the area is 25 percent to 30 percent more likely to experience landslides and debris flows than if it hadn’t burned.

Areas at most risk, according to county officials, include the Bixby River along Coast Road, Upper and Lower Palo Colorado, and Garrapata, as well as the Cachagua area.

Even if the weekend storm shifts northward and brings 5-7 inches of rain, county response may be needed, according to spokeswoman Maia Carroll.

“Either scenario could result in (the county) having to take action,” Carroll said.

The rest of the county is also expected to be soaked, although not quite as much.

“Expect twice the amount of rain we had Monday and Tuesday for Saturday through Monday,” said Steve Anderson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

What that means for Monterey and Salinas is the possibility of two to four inches of rain.

Friday’s forecast for the Monterey and Salinas area is for increasing clouds, highs in the low 50s, with rain developing overnight.

Saturday will have an 80 percent chance of rain, temperatures in the high 50s, and the possibility of precipitation amounts between a quarter to half an inch.

Saturday night the rain could be heavy at times with winds ranging from 15 to 30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph, while rain amounts approaching three-quarters to one inch are possible.

Sunday calls for more rain, which could be heavy at times, and lasting through the night, with the chance of rain decreasing on Monday.

Young said public works will activate its operations center on Saturday, and crews will be working over the weekend in anticipation of responding to flooding, road closures and the like. He noted that county staff had delivered thousands of sandbags, many pre-filled, to a number of “strategic” locations around the county, including fire stations.

Public works operations manager Shawn Atkins said the message to county residents is “get your sandbags now.”

“During the storm it will be too late,” Atkins said.

County residents are urged to sign up for the Alert Monterey County notification system (http://bit.ly/2iKulSh), which will deliver updates on the storm and its impact to cellphones, and visit the county Office of Emergency Services website (http://bit.ly/2hWLvKq), which includes a link to a winter preparedness page.

If the areas begin to flood, Malais — in his first week on the job after replacing Sherrie Collins — said the county would activate its Emergency Operations Center and begin coordinating emergency response, including evacuations and access to Red Cross shelter.

Young said public works is also keeping a “close eye” on the Carmel River, which he noted had already breached the lagoon sandbar during a previous storm but was still subject to flooding, particularly in the Mission Fields area, along with the Pajaro River and the Salinas River. But he said county officials are optimistic that the rivers will remain within their channels this weekend.

Carroll said residents in high-risk flooding areas could receive National Weather Service alerts indicating a “flood watch” or a “flood warning,” and pointed out that the former is issued when conditions are favorable for flooding but it has not yet occurred while the latter is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring.

Local cities prepare

In Pacific Grove, Dan Gho, director of the city’s public works department, said the precautions taken for this storm are the same ones the city takes prior to the winter season in general.

“We just make sure that our facilities are ready to go — that our city buildings and staff from the public works, fire and police departments — are ready to respond,” said Gho. “And with the recent rains it prompted us to check all our storm drains to make sure they’re clear of debris.”

Gho advised residents to take their own precautions. Those included making sure the trees around their homes don’t have any broken or cracked limbs and that any subsurface drainage is open and free of debris. He also suggested that residents make sure their sump pumps are operable.

It’s Pacific Grove’s exposure to the west and the open ocean that Monterey Fire Chief Gaudenz Panholzer said causes it to get hit harder with the wind, which he said the National Weather Service was predicting would accompany this storm’s precipitation. Panholzer said he was meeting with city officials Friday morning to solidify any storm preparation plans.

“We’ve already anticipated the need to put some extra folks on duty so we’re staffing up Saturday night and into Sunday,” said Panholzer, noting the ground soaking from the recent rains puts the city at greater risk for flooding along with the debris that collects in the storm drain system.

“Around here, our big problem is when we have a combination of a lot of rain and the ground gets soft and then there’s the wind, the trees topple over and wires get broken.”

Panholzer said the low-lying areas around Lake El Estero, Del Monte and areas up in the hills were those most at risk.

Meanwhile in Carmel, Rob Mullane, the city’s public works director, said his department just inspected all of its storm drain inlets and outlets to make sure they’re free of debris. He also noted the recent tree services agreements that were put into place by the city with tree care firms.

“So if there are downed limbs, they can go out and take care of that,” said Mullane.

In Salinas, Fire Chief Edmond Rodriguez said his department is closely monitoring the city’s reclamation ditches and highways and “will be staffing one additional company, patrolling all of our waterways and working closely with” the county Office of Emergency Services on any contingencies.

The Department of Public Works has been clearing homeless encampments on public property and streambeds once a week, Assistant Public Works Director Don Reynolds said in an email.

In Seaside, Fire Chief Brian Dempsey explained that since the city is somewhat on a slope, it does not have a tendency to flood in most areas except maybe near Roberts Lake.

In Marina, John Lundgren, acting division chief with the Marina Fire Department, advised residents to have food and water stocked, besides batteries for LED lanterns or flashlights in case power goes out. The acting division chief also cautioned drivers about low-lying areas in Marina on Reservation Road between Salinas Avenue and Imjin Parkway, and Reservation Road at Del Monte.

Herald staff writers Jim Johnson, James Herrera, Carly Mayberry and Claudia Melendez Salinas contributed to this story.