SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- Overnight, a high-moisture atmospheric river swept across the Bay Area, bringing in heavy rain and strong winds.
As of Wednesday, the rain continued to pour in San Jose and officials are encouraging residents to take proper precautions in areas that have the potential to experience localized flooding -- which include areas near the Guadalupe River, Ross Creek and Penitencia Creek.
“What the weather presents to us is a real challenge when we have these atmospheric rivers, that's when the intensity of the rain comes in,” said Raymond Riordan, Director for the City of San Jose City Manager's Office of Emergency Management.
“When it comes to the unhoused, we really want to tell people to get to a higher point of ground because this water does rise really quickly,” Riordan added.
“For those fortunate to have homes in the area, if the water is going to get to a certain level, move equipment, your tables, your couches if you can get them a little higher so if water does come in it's not damaging.”
Over the last few days, city staff has engaged with residents and unhoused individuals living in the potentially impacted areas to offer support.
The city has since activated its Incident Management Team as part of the Emergency Operations Center for this event and is communicating with the Valley Water to monitor the weather and its impact on the conditions at nearby reservoirs.
“And our number one focus in that is public notification,” said Riordan.
“Yesterday morning we made sure we had the right messaging we wanted to put out, we had a coordination call with Valley Water to confirm where the areas of concern were, so we were able to go out and leaflet and actually knock on doors and make sure we communicate with the unhoused.”
The Incident Management Team also is working closely with the National Weather Service to receive the most accurate weather -- allowing the team to address any concerns before the weather changes.
“Last night it was almost as though they knew when exactly the rain was going to fall, where and what time,” said Riordan.
“It was almost like clockwork as they described from 1:00 to 3:30 is your heaviest downpour and that gives us good information to make sure our crews are in the right places to address any blockages that occur.”
The city of San Jose has now activated an evacuation center located at the Camden Community Center for those living near the areas expected to experience localized flooding.
Residents are encouraged to opt in to the Santa Clara County emergency alert system, AlertSCC.
Residents living nearby the potentially impacted areas should take the following precautions:
- Monitor the news and follow the City of San José on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates
- Be ready and tell neighbors to be ready to evacuate, if needed
- Protect your property with sandbags
- Seniors or mobility impaired: Ask family or friends to get you NOW
- Move valuable items to a higher or secure place
- Consider moving pets NOW
- Be ready to move your car/s to high ground
- Pack a bag with important documents, medicines, spare clothes
- Report blocked drains and other storm-related issues at 408-794-1900
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/3act0yC
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