Redwood City – The Bay Area will be hit today by what the National Weather Service predicts will be “heavy to excessive rainfall,” the first in a series of winter storms that will stress the capacity of public agencies across the region.
The County is providing information on key resources and ways to prepare as the National Weather Service warns, “The storm is coming!”
- Travel: Stay off the roads if you can. If you must travel, do not drive into flooded areas. A foot of water can float many cars, and two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including sport utility vehicles and pick-ups. Keep an extra flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Here are preparedness tips from Ready.gov.
- Sandbags: The County is offering sandbags to residents and businesses in the unincorporated areas. Here is a map and a list of pick-up locations in the unincorporated areas, plus a list of locations from cities.
- Storm-related assistance: Residents in need of storm-related, non-emergency assistance should call 2-1-1. The County and cities are coordinating to open temporary evacuation points, the first contact point for evacuees during an emergency. These locations begin the process of finding appropriate short term or long-term shelter. Evacuation assistance is available for those who need it.
- Call 9-1-1 only in emergencies. An emergency is any serious medical problem (chest pain, seizure, bleeding), any type of fire (business, car, building), any life-threatening situation (fights, person with weapons) or to report crimes in progress. Do not dial 911 for a non-emergency.
- Stay connected: Check the following to stay up to date on storm-related information and local resources.
Check for local hazardous conditions by address and other County storm-related news and information.
Sign up for SMC Alert, which sends emergency messages to email, cell phones and other devices and landline telephones.
Watch County Executive Mike Callagy brief the local news media today on the County’s storm-related preparedness.
Social media:
San Mateo County Sheriff: https://twitter.com/SMCSheriff
County of San Mateo: https://twitter.com/sanmateoco
National Weather Service Bay Area: https://twitter.com/NWSBayArea
Additional agencies and organizations:
San Mateo County Office of Education School Closure Information: https://www.smcoe.org/for-communities/alert.html
Caltrans road information: https://roads.dot.ca.gov/
Pacific Gas & Electric Outage Center: https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/outagecenter/
National Weather Service Bay Area: https://www.weather.gov/mtr/
Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org