For the latest on Wednesday's storm, go here.
In anticipation of the incoming winter storm, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and activated the county’s emergency operations center.
The county’s EOC will operate at least through Sunday to coordinate resources and communication with local, regional and state agencies and response partners.
“It is important we have a coordinated response to prioritize public safety, especially for those who reside in areas more prone to flooding,” said Mike Callagy, the county executive.
According to a dire forecast update from the National Weather Service, Wednesday’s storm is expected to be as bad or worse than Saturday's deluge and will likely result in the loss of human life. The entire Bay Area will be under a flood watch beginning Wednesday.
Supervisor Warren Slocum said the local declaration would allow the county to qualify for some additional state money and personnel to support the storm effort.
Though the cost of the storm remains to be seen, the county has already spent $64,000 on 24,000 sandbags that have been distributed to cities, and they’re planning to order more “just to be uber prepared,” Slocum said.
“A big ticket item will be the clearing of debris from creeks, on roadways, landslides, sinkholes, road repairs—those kinds of public works issues,” Slocum said. “The cost is impossible to predict, but it will be significant.”
In his ten years serving on the board, Slocum said this was the first time he’d ever declared a state of emergency for a winter storm.
“It’s not common in my memory,” he said. A last-minute decision, the item wasn’t even on Tuesday’s board meeting agenda and required a “special vote” to add it, he noted. “But it was absolutely necessary to do, I believe.”
‘Extreme’ weather conditions
Cities along the bay shoreline, including Redwood City, are anticipating heavy winds and about two inches of rain, according to NWS Meteorologist Rick Canepa. The area will be hit with a warm front in the morning, followed by winds of 40-60 miles per hour in the late morning and into the night. Periodic showers will become more sustained rainfall as a cold front arrives later in the day.
“Use care if traveling tomorrow, it’s going to be tough going with the winds, especially,” Canepa said. He also warned of possible power outages from downed powerlines and toppled trees and encouraged residents to do any necessary preparation—including gathering extra supplies and charging all devices—on Tuesday.
The update issued Monday afternoon includes five key points, with the first one noting a "threat to life likely during this storm." Mudslides are anticipated due to saturated soil, and rapidly rising creeks and streams will pose additional dangers.
A meteorologist shared the following observations in the forecast about the coming storm: "To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while. The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously."
The forecast includes an updated threat matrix it classifies as "extreme risk" for conditions expected Wednesday and Thursday, including increased wind gusts, a flood watch that now includes the entire Bay Area and an added forecast Friday through Sunday after the big storm for roughly 1-2 inches of rain in most areas.
The Redwood City Fire Department is preparing for Wednesday with an additional unit, including two more people and extra chain saws and pumps to assist crews. The department had a whopping 302 service calls on Sunday, more than seven times the daily average, including major flooding, downed trees and electrical wires and water rescues.
“We had an area of San Carlos flooding along El Camino Real that affected a lot of businesses,” said Battalion Chief Chris Cottle. “I was running around all day…This is one that really hit the heart of the town more than in other years.”
Wednesday through Thursday morning will be the worst of the storm, with heavy rain and strong winds with gusts of 35-55 mph in most areas, with stronger gusts at higher elevations.
The flood watch will be in effect from Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon, with rain amounts expected from 2-4 inches in the valleys, 3-6 inches in the foothills and 8-10 inches in the coastal mountains.
The updated forecast for Wednesday includes increased rain totals for several areas from the previous forecast issued Sunday:
- San Rafael (4-6 inches, up from 3-4 inches);
- San Jose (2-3 inches, up from 1.5-2 inches);
- Livermore (2-3 inches, up from 1.5-2 inches);
- Stockton (2-3 inches, up from 1.5-2 inches); and<
- Hollister (2-3 inches, up from 1.5-2 inches).
Two areas on the coast south of San Francisco may see slightly less rain than first forecast. The revised forecast is for 2-3 inches of rain in Half Moon Bay—down from 3-4 inches—and for 3-4 inches in Santa Cruz instead of 4-6 inches in the previous forecast.
Winter storm prep
Residents are encouraged clear gutters, stock up on sandbags and sign up for emergency alerts, according to the city which published a list of winter storm tips. More sandbags can be acquired from the Redwood City Public Works Yard at 1400 Broadway. The fire department has also warned residents not to drive through or walk through pooling water for any reason.
Cottle said part of the issue on Sunday may have been a lack of preparedness. "I don’t think there was a real awareness of what was coming. The intensity of the storm certainly was more than people realized," he added.
Redwood City's Public Works Department is already being inundated with calls from residents about sewer backups, storm drains and sandbags, according to a representative. City and county public works departments play a key role in clearing debris and keeping drain systems flowing during heavy storms.
Resources for those affected
During the storm, residents should call 911 for life-threatening emergencies or if they require evacuation. Non-emergency lines should be used for all other calls. Residents can dial 211 for updates about sandbag locations, flood advisories, traffic bulletins and road closures can.
For residents of unincorporated parts of the county, the Department of Emergency Management, which oversees the emergency operations center, can be reached at (650) 363-4790.
In the event of flooding, residents are encouraged to document the water levels around their property, if they can do so safely. Photos of flooding can be sent to the county Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency District, also known as OneShoreline, to help climate change planners track evolving local flood patterns and mitigate future impacts.
Currently, some 70 people have been relocated to hotels throughout the county due to Sunday’s storm. Most of the people were displaced from mobile homes, including one in Belmont and another in Redwood City, according to County Chief Communications Officer Michelle Durand.
“We have a number of hotels across the county that we have on standby,” she said. “We also have plans in place, in case we have to do a mass evacuation or other sheltering option.”
A countywide efforts
The Redwood City Fire Department is preparing for Wednesday with an additional unit, including two more people and extra chain saws and pumps to assist crews. The department had a whopping 302 service calls on Sunday, roughly four to five times the daily average, including major flooding, downed trees and electrical wires and water rescues.
“We had an area of San Carlos flooding along El Camino Real that affected a lot of businesses,” said Battalion Chief Chris Cottle. “I was running around all day…This is one that really hit the heart of the town more than in other years.”
Battalion Chief Chuck Lax said the RCFD works in conjunction with surrounding jurisdictions to provide the fastest response during emergencies. During Sunday’s storm, “all our resources got used, so we had resources come in from Menlo Park and the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department,” he said, adding that “always the next closest available resource goes to the next emergency call.”
The department uses a triage system to direct support to the most urgent need, with flooding calls taking a lower priority than downed wires or medical aid.
"The most important thing is that no one gets hurt, then we can try to divert water," Lax said.
More than 4.5 inches of rain pummeled Redwood City on Sunday, the third wettest day in the city’s recorded history, after January 21, 1967 and October 13, 1962, which received 4.8 and 4.88 inches of rain, respectively.
Tuesday is expected to have little to no rain for the region and represents the last opportunity to clean up from Saturday's storm before the next one hits, forecasters said.
For the latest forecast updates, visit weather.gov/bayarea.
For tips on how to prepare for the storm, read this.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
