Mudslides notwithstanding, in the Western US one should never complain about free water falling from the sky.
I could not agree more! LA's in a desert and we've had persistent drought conditions for several years now. This is a blessing, especially the prospects for a heavy snowpack in the Sierras.
These periodic El Nino events are part of the normal long-term weather cycle in California. Since they are inevitable people who live in the region should be prepared for them. John Steinbeck wrote that in dry periods the natives complained it would never rain again! And when the gullywashers arrived they complained it would never stop raining.
The last one I recall was in '83 and it was a wall-banger! It knocked down piers all along central and southern CA and high tides and extremely heavy surf demolished beach-front buildings. I recall watching waves crashing well over the top of a 15-foot seaside embankment near San Luis Obispo. Exciting! The power was off so often that winter I thought of going into business selling Coleman lanterns with Tiffany shades.