Flooded roadways. Rising waterways. Downed trees. Power outages. Residents in the Tri-Valley, like much of the Bay Area, faced some — or all — of those amid a heavy rainstorm throughout Saturday.
And they were bracing for more of the same this Wednesday afternoon, as the Weekly headed to press.
As the significant rainfall of the morning and afternoon of New Year’s Eve eased into lighter precipitation in the evening, a number of roads in and around the Tri-Valley were left closed into at least Sunday due to flooding. The saturated conditions got so serious Saturday to the point that many law enforcement and public works agencies in the Bay Area urged people not to drive unless absolutely necessary.
“The town experienced 5.5 inches of rainfall within less than 24 hours,” Danville town officials said in a press release. “The intensity and magnitude of the storm was such that storm drainage systems including creeks and storm drains were overwhelmed.”
“Water flowed into streets in some areas, carrying with it mud and organic debris,” the release stated. “This resulted in the need for street closures, and numerous persons who attempted to navigate these areas were either forced to abandon their vehicles or had to be rescued.”
Residents, police and fire officials throughout the region shared stories, photographs and videos of rising water levels in neighborhoods and local creeks on Saturday.
San Ramon Valley Fire reported responding to more than 100 flood- or storm-related incidents during that 24-hour period.
That included severe flooding in a neighborhood on Fircrest Lane in San Ramon from where 13 people were evacuated and taken to a local senior center, according to San Ramon police. The flooding there resulted in Alcosta Boulevard being closed from the Iron Horse Regional Trail to Stagecoach Road into Sunday.
In greater Pleasanton, Foothill Road and Stanley Boulevard were among the major roads with closures due to flooding impacts.
Niles Creek was at flood stage by late Saturday afternoon, as was the Arroyo de la Laguna.
Livermore police posted videos of flooding at Livermore and Portola avenues, just one example of the numerous roadways in the city to see localized flooding, according to the department. County roads in the unincorporated Tri-Valley were also highly affected by standing water.
Danville officials reported flooding incidents across the town as well as high-rising creek activity, with some road closures continuing until Sunday morning. Among the neighborhoods impacted was Messian Place near where Town Councilmember Renee Morgan lives; she shared photos of her walking in knee-high waters in the street.
A fallen eucalyptus tree on Blackhawk Road between Holly Oak Drive and Jillian Way impacted the major roadway in unincorporated Danville and also knocked down power lines, according to Contra Costa County Public Works. Mudslides impacted Interstate 580 west of Dublin and Highway 84 near Sunol over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Tri-Valley and the Bay Area as a whole were preparing for second strong storm and atmospheric river on Wednesday afternoon into Thursday that the National Weather Service warned could be as bad — if not worse — than the one that rocked the region over New Year’s weekend.
“While the storm on Dec. 31 brought significant impacts to our community, the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday of this week is expected to bring more significant amounts of rain,” according to a news release from the city of Pleasanton. “Because of ground saturation and erosion from the storm on December 31, expect to see more debris flow with the upcoming storm.”
The town of Danville proclaimed a local emergency on Tuesday due to the upcoming storm which will end on Jan. 10. This will allow for greater flexibility to obtain disaster response equipment, according to a news release.
“The Bay Area’s recent deluge may be just the tip of the iceberg, as more rain is expected to arrive on Wednesday and continue into next week,” according to a news release from the city of Dublin. “If you’ve already experienced flooding during a prior storm, you will likely experience flooding again. Water flow is expected to exceed channel capacity.”
For ongoing coverage of the major storm that occurred after the Weekly went to press, visit PleasantonWeekly.com.
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