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[RC] Northern Cal Storm info - Eric Drew
here are some pics from up by me that I took from the engine
hill slid and the tree is hung up in the wires
we had to cut the tree off this hose to clear the roadway
downed power lines
the wind shifted and we could see the smoke from where the power line was arcing on the shoulder [you don't get close]at the base of the second post
mop up
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b217/Eric1218/Img_0014a.jpg
this is a post with pics from the area north east of SF http://members5.boardhost.com/chatboard/msg/1136063321.html from the Mercury News
The first of two powerful winter storms barreled through Northern California early Saturday, causing widespread power outages around the Bay Area and mudslides and flooding through much of the state's wine country. About 120,000 residents are without power, according to a Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman. One woman was injured when a mudslide destroyed her home in Santa Rosa shortly before midnight. It took firefighters nearly an hour to free her from the mud and debris, said Santa Rosa Fire Battalion Chief Andy Pforsich. She was taken to the hospital with a broken leg. As Palo Alto's San Francisquito creek swelled with rain, some people who live around the Chaucer Street bridge that crosses the creek were considering a voluntary evacuation recommendation from local officials. ``The fear is, this creek will touch the top,'' said Marv Su, 43, of Palo Alto, who walked to Chaucer Street from his home. ``It's pretty alarming.'' In California's wine country, major flooding began early Saturday with some areas reporting record water levels. The Napa River was 25 feet in Napa and 20 feet upstream in St. Helena. Forecasters said the river would crest at 28 feet late Saturday morning in Napa. Police and fire officials there were urging residents along the river to evacuate, city spokeswoman Jenny Gomez said. Flooding was already affecting areas of downtown near the river. Forecasters said severe flooding was expected in Calistoga, St. Helena and Yountville, with numerous homes and businesses affected. In the Sonoma area, firefighters were attempting to rescue residents of a mobile home park, where four feet of rushing water sent at least one home off its foundation, said Division Chief Bob Norrbom with the Sonoma Valley Fire Authority. Two people were rescued, and members of the swift water rescue team were searching for a third, Norrbom said. Several cars were floating through the park. ``If the Sonoma Creek continues to spill over its banks we're going to have some problems,'' Norrbom said, adding numerous streets and homes were already flooded. Nearly all small creeks and streams in Sonoma County have overflowed their banks. The southbound lanes of Highway 101 were closed near Novato due to roadway flooding. Flood warnings from Sonoma County across the state to the Nevada border were in effect through Saturday. Officials urged people with homes in hilly coastal areas to monitor the rain totals while collecting valuables, identifying escape routes and gathering emergency supplies in case mudslides make evacuations necessary. ``Where people have chosen to live over the years, from a flooding or high-water standpoint, turned out not to be the best places,'' said Andy Morin, a National Weather Service hydrologist based in Sacramento. ``But human nature is stubborn, and typically warnings come well in advance and people continue to persevere.'' In the Sonoma County town of Guerneville, officials prepared for the Russian River to rise as high as 43 feet after a second storm expected to hit Sunday. Flood level is 32 feet. Early Saturday, the river was rising close to one foot an hour. An average of 4 inches of rain fell north of the San Francisco Bay area in the 24-hour period ending Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The storm is causing one-hour delays at San Francisco International Airport that are expected to grow to two hours by this afternoon, said airport duty manager Linda Perry. The storms could add as much as 6 inches of rain to the already water-logged region by the end of the weekend, said Rick Canepa, an NWS meteorologist based in Monterey. ``Both storms are going to add up to quite an amount of rainfall, some of the heaviest rains we have seen so far this season,'' Canepa said. Interstate 5 was closed both ways over the Siskiyou Summit near the Oregon border between Hilt and Ashland, Ore., because of flash flooding and landslides. U.S. Highway 101 was closed by fallen trees and mud south of Crescent City. More than 2 feet of snow was predicted to blanket the Sierra Nevada from Yosemite National Park to Kings Canyon, making road travel nearly impossible this weekend, said officials at the San Joaquin Valley Weather Forecast Office. --- Eric Drew
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