In just over a week, Northern California and the Bay Area face their third major storm of pounding rain and heavy winds, prompting roads and schools to close and leaving thousands of people without power.
Governor Gavin Newsome declared a state of emergency on Wednesday to hasten the ongoing response to the storms, authorizing the mobilization of the California National Guard. To prepare for the Wednesday storm, local authorities from cities like San Jose attempted to evacuate all unhoused people along creek beds, while Santa Cruz County authorities issued mandatory evacuations in the Felton, Soquel, and Watsonville areas. In contrast, red evacuation orders were posted in homes in Santa Cruz County; deputies warned people that those who don’t evacuate might not be able to receive emergency help(East Bay Times).
Although the Wednesday storm brought less rainfall than the New Year’s Eve storm, the oversaturation of soil in some areas raises severe concerns about flooding. Previously, Fremont and Walnut Creek experienced creek water levels rising above the flood stage. Only a few days ago, San Ramon fire officials and police responded to over 100 flood-related incidents, conducting evacuations in areas like Firecrest Lane with waist-high water levels. Now, the impact of the saturated soil coupled with recent rainfall is beginning to show. Santa Clara County faces mudslides, fallen trees, and flooding, forcing road closure.
However, different from the past two downpours, the third storm was accompanied by damaging winds posing greater concerns than the rain itself. With wind speeds reaching 78 mph in some areas, Brayden Murdock, a National Weather Service meteorologist, says, “[t]his is a wind event as much as it is a heavy rain event.”
The Pacific Gas & Electric utility reported that as of 8:15 a.m. on Thursday, more than 72,000 customers in the Bay Area were left without power. The South San Francisco Unified School District closed classes and extracurricular activities on Thursday due to intense flooding, power outages, and downed trees, according to Supt. Shawnterra Moore.
The storm’s fatalities included two deaths: one occurred after a large tree fell onto a home on Wednesday night, and the other after a 19-year-old woman hydroplaned on a flooded road and collided with a utility pole (The Mercury News).
Here is a brief (and by no means a comprehensive) list of emergency tips to protect you and your loved ones from the storm. Go to KQED for more.
Prepare for Evacuation:
Have an emergency supply kit at home and in your car.
– include non-perishable food, medical supplies, cleaning supplies, water, copy of ID, charging cables, portable cellphone battery pack
Prepare for Power Outage:
– Battery-powered flashlights (and batteries), portable chargers, LED candles, battery-powered radios, non-perishable food, water
– Freeze blocks of ice in bowls to move to refrigerators to keep food cold
– Visit PG&E’s power outage map
Prepare for Flooding:
– Sandbags (Santa Clara video on Sandbag placement)
– Visit FEMA Flood Map
Receive Updates:
- San Mateo County emergency alerts
- Santa Clara County emergency alerts
- Solano County emergency alerts
- Sonoma County emergency alerts
- Alameda County emergency alerts
- City of Berkeley emergency alerts
- Contra Costa County emergency alerts
- Marin County emergency alerts
- Napa County emergency alerts
- City and County of San Francisco emergency alerts
The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect nor represent the Earth Chronicles and its editorial board.
