Bay Area Storm: Coastal areas, North Bay prepare for strong winds and rain

PACIFICA, Calif. (KGO) — After the intense weather several weeks ago, this weekend’s storm is scheduled to be the first to hit the Bay Area since before Thanksgiving.

On Friday, PG&E officials say they spent the day preparing.

“We have our emergency operations center open at this time. We’re manning it 24/7 to make sure that any outage or emergency that occurs, we’re aware of it and we’re able to get crews out immediately. hat, ” said PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian.

Sarkissian says that while we expect measurable rainfall, the incoming storm’s strong winds could cause power outages.

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“The wind can break branches, it can throw debris through the air, it can damage our equipment. Otherwise, healthy trees can be uprooted,” she said.

At the Pacifica local fire station, Fire Inspector Clyde Preston tells us the department is encouraging people to prepare for the storm now — everything from charging electronic devices to making sure you have things like flashlights ready to go.

But Preston says it’s not just about getting the inside ready, the fire inspector takes the time to show us examples of areas like gutters and downspouts that he says people need to clean out before the storm hits.

“What we don’t want to happen is we don’t want people out there during a storm on a ladder trying to clear out gutters,” Preston said.

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However, the expected stormy weather is not a turn-off for everyone.

We talked to several surfers on the beach in Pacifica and everyone told us it’s good for the waves.

That includes Thomas Corcoran and his friends. The group tells us they are new to the sport, but felt the choppy waves were a great way to learn quickly.

“You get bumped all the time. Basically getting hit by waves, getting to shore and then swimming back,” Corcoran said.

In the North Bay, homeowners and first responders are bracing for the storm, which could bring strong winds and heavy rain. Many are still cleaning up after the last storm, which caused flooding.

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Olia Pospelova showed us all the cleaning and disinfection that has been done at the Surrey Resort in Guerneville. A storm before Thanksgiving flooded the site with several feet of water. Now a new storm is approaching.

“We are ready now. We made all the preparations just in case,” Pospelova said.

Many items are in storage or moved outside with all eyes on the Russian River.

“So we’re hoping there will be no flooding, no flooding in. We’re ready. It won’t be a surprise like last time,” she said.

Angela Roman lives on Old River Road. Her family is ready for the storm with a new tank of propane for cooking in case the power goes out.

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“Everything is saturated so I’m worried about trees falling on our house and the river getting high. That’s what we’re worried about,” Roman said.

“We are expecting significant rainfall across the region,” said Sonoma County Fire District Chief Cyndi Foreman.

Foreman says flooding is possible from local creeks, the same flooding parts of the county experienced with the November storm that left many cars and parking lots under water.

“And the rain really has nowhere to go. It’s not penetrating the ground. We’re going to see more runoff and landslides, so much water that’s going to come off the hills,” Foreman said.

Strong winds could topple trees and the coast, rough seas. Last month, eight people died in three separate boating accidents in Bodega Bay.