Pescadero flooded

Disaster struck early Monday morning, around 1 a.m., when the Butano Creek and Pescadero Creek watersheds came together during high tide which caused flooding and road blockage on Stagecoach Road and Pescadero Creek Road, according to Ray Mueller, San Mateo County supervisor for District 3.

“The flooding became significant enough that we had to evacuate some of the homes,” Mueller said.

Later that day, the county did door-to-door assessments to figure out what homes needed to be red-tagged, assessing if people were able to stay in their homes. A short-term shelter station was set up at Pescadero High School Monday night.

The storm has exposed Pescadero’s weaknesses in road infrastructure and Pacific Gas and Electric’s infrastructure, Mueller said. Temporary cell towers have been brought into the town to keep the residents connected, which is vital for its 418 residents, he added. However, after the crisis subsides, he plans on taking direct action to fix these weaknesses that have left the residents feeling vulnerable.

“There are a lot of lessons learned coming out of this across the district, in terms of building resilience that we are going to follow up on,” Mueller said. “There is a lot of work to be done to make sure we are in a better position next time.”

Mueller said he is particularly proud of the strength and durability of the residents and the multiple agencies that have come together to help those in need.

“All the emergency first responders and community members who are working so hard out there right now to take care of each other, it has really been an amazing thing to witness,” Mueller said.

One of those first responders, Bob Simmons, battalion chief for Cal Fire San Mateo County said his agency helped people cross the flooded North Street and Pescadero Creek Road and rescued people from three vehicles.

Homes he drove by with substantial sandbags seemed to be protected.

“The flooding crossed over North Street and it was like a river going through Pescadero Road. Vehicles got stuck and we were there to help people out of the water, neighbors came by with big trucks and helped out as well,” Simmons said. “Don’t drive through the flood water, especially with the muddy water, you really can’t tell how deep it is.”

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, big winds came and knocked over many trees weakened from the saturated soil.

“So it was busy. If I could guess maybe 30 trees have fallen but not all of them are reported to us. It is a pretty resilient community and people are out there with their own chainsaws,” Simmons said.

As of Tuesday night, nearly 50 customers were without power in the Pescadero area, according to the PG&E power outage map. PG&E spokesperson Benjamin Spillman said by Tuesday afternoon, 115 customers in the county were without power, many weather related.

“Storm conditions including flooding and wind can make it unsafe for PG&E crews to work in some areas. As soon as it becomes safe to do so, crews will resume restoring power as quickly as possible,” Spillman said.

Waiting for help

However, Rita Mancera, executive director for Puente de la Costa Sur, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the coastal communities, is at the ground level of the disaster saying that many homes in Pescadero have been without power for nearly a week and is wondering when PG&E is going to help. One of the larger issues for the area is now fresh water and groceries, adding that many people are using well water at this point.

“People here are very resilient and very smart, so they do what they can to take care of themselves and to be safe,” Mancera said.

Another issue Mancera is concerned with was lost wages for people who have not been able to work the past few weeks, especially the farm workers. She is hoping to find a resolution in the coming days to help with both the lost wages and the grocery issues.

Rainfall

From Sunday to Monday, Pescadero saw a range of 2 1/2 to 6 inches of rain, according to Roger Gass, meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Santa Cruz Mountains peaked in excess of 6 inches and Boulder Creek saw 7 to 9 inches of rain in the same time frame. Gass said Pescadero creek reached 17.95 feet early Monday morning due to the intense rainfall in the region as the atmospheric river moved across the creek.

By Tuesday afternoon, Gass said the creek level had subsided to 7.2 feet. He added there is another storm on the way that should pass through the area as early as Tuesday night and will continue through Wednesday, which he anticipates should bring half an inch to 1 inch of rain around the coastal hills.

There will be a break from the rain on Thursday but it will continue again from Friday to Sunday. Gass anticipates another 1 to 2 inches in the coastal ranges and maybe up to 3 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

“People around the area of the creek should remain vigilant because the soil has pretty much been saturated which makes the trees more susceptible to failure even with moderate winds,” Gass said. “Especially driving at night, be cautious of debris in the roadways. It is a lot more difficult to see a mudslide ahead of you in the overnight hours, especially in the hilly terrain.”

For residents returning to a damaged home that may not be safe, call 211. If a threat is urgent, call 911. The county has a long-term shelter setup up at the San Mateo County Event Center, in San Mateo, where the American Red Cross is on site assisting residents affected by the storm. The Human Services Agency is also there to offer further assistance to families in need.

nick@smdailyjournal.com

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