Bay Area prepares for heavy rain, high winds ahead of arriving storm system
OAKLAND -- The entire Bay Area is bracing for another round of torrential rain and high winds as the latest atmospheric river takes aim at the region, residents and business owners scrambling to make last-minute preparations.
Wind and rain are expected to arrive in late Thursday morning with the precipitation increasing in intensity as the day progresses. Oakland city officials urge residents to prepare and even volunteer to prevent flooding.
KPIX 5 First Alert Weather: Current Conditions, Forecasts, Alerts For Your Area
Forecasters with the National Weather Service have issued a flood watch for the entire Bay Area, which includes a 40 percent chance of flash flooding Thursday night into Friday morning.
Oakland residents can expect 2 to 2.5 inches of rain between Thursday morning and Friday night, weather service officials said. It will get windy Thursday morning, too.
ALSO READ: Storm prep: Where to get sandbags in the Bay Area
"It will be particularly windy," National Weather Service meteorologist Dalton Behringer said. "We could see gusts of 45 to 50 mph" in the city.
Gusts of 55 mph might occur in the Oakland hills, he said.
With the consistent rain recently, soils are saturated. That increases the chance that trees could fall, Behringer said.
Emergencies such as downed trees or limbs can be reported by calling 311 or (510) 615-5566. If it's challenging to get a hold of someone by calling 311, residents can call the Oakland Fire Department's non-emergency line at (510) 444-3322.
Other emergencies that can be reported to 311 include flooding, overflowing sewers and street signals that aren't working. Non-emergencies can be reported online.
City officials are asking residents to adopt a drain in their neighborhood to help prevent flooding. Public works crews are clearing storm inlets and many residents have adopted a drain, but many thousands of drains remain available for adoption. The city can give residents supplies such as rakes, brooms, dust pans, and bags.
Call (510) 238-7630 or go to the city website to sign up.
Up to 10 free sandbags and up to 20 feet of plastic sheeting are available to each Oakland household while supplies last. They can be picked up at the Municipal Service Center at 7101 Edgewater Drive on Mondays to Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Residents and businesses in San Francisco can get up to 10 free sandbags from the public works operations yard. The yard is located just south of Potrero Hill between U.S. 101 and I-280.
People are being asked to enter through the Marin Street and Kansas Street gate.
One woman who was picking up some sandbags for her mom told KPIX she wishes they had sandbags in January when the storms flooded their house.
"We're taking out all the precautions we can. Doing everything we can. And if it still happens, it was just meant to do some upgrades if that's the case," said SF resident Dakura Smith. But for now, we're making sure we exhaust every avenue we can."
People can pick up the sandbags any day except Sunday between the hours of 8 a.m. And 2 p.m. All that is required is proof of residence.
Caltrans is shutting down a section of Highway 17 in Santa Clara County to clear out fallen trees damaged in last month's storm.
One southbound lane from Bear Creek to Summit Road will be closed Wednesday through Friday from 9 a.m. To 3 p.m. Next Monday through Wednesday, a northbound lane will close the same hours from Summit Road to Blossom Hill Road.
Residents in unincorporated areas of Monterey County can pick up sandbags at several locations in the county ahead of the storm.
Empty sandbags can be picked up at the following Cal Fire stations: Aromas, Big Sur, Cachagua, Cypress, Carmel Highlands and Greenfield, as well as stations in the North County Fire Protection District.
A complete list of sandbag locations is available at tinyurl.com/2p87p5r9. Bags can be filled at other locations found at tinyurl.com/22vy8un2.
For questions about sandbags, contact the Monterey County Public Works maintenance office at (831) 755-4925.
Residents in incorporated areas can pick up and fill bags at Fire Stations 11, 12 and 13 in the city of Monterey, the Vista Lobos community center in Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the Pacific Grove fire station.
