Northern California Hunkers Down in Midst of Heavy Soaking

Carolyn Williams
Published: February 6,2015



 
Residents of Northern California hunkered down after preparing their homes and businesses for the massive storm that is packing a punch with heavy rains.
"Widespread rainfall of 3 to 6 inches is expected which will bring the risk of river flooding and urban flooding in poor drainage areas. Heavy rain may also produce mudslides and debris flows in wildfire burn scarred areas," says weather.com meteorologist Linda Lam.
Sandbags were the No.1 commodity that residents and business owners alike stocked up on.
(MORE: Atmospheric River Bringing Heavy Rain to Northern California and Pacific Northwest) 
Business owners in Healdsburg, California, weren't taking any chances this time around, reminiscing about the flooding and damage powerful December storms brought. Constance Newton, owner of Healdsburg Vintage, told ABC7 News she is already prepared with sandbags to protect her store. "We got pretty walloped. We had about 18 inches of water that went all the way back, came in like a tide." Newton later added, "We're going to be prepared this time, no taking any chances.
Healdsburg City Manager David Mickaelian noted the city was at the ready. "Our public works department will be on hand. We're scheduling staff over the weekend to monitor the event and make sure we're prepared."
Lam noted, "Wind gusts over 40 mph are likely in inland areas, with gusts over 60 mph in coastal areas and in the mountains. These strong winds may down trees and power lines as well as make driving difficult in high profile vehicles."
(MORE: Long-Lived Northeast Snowstorm May Dump a Foot or More) 
Trees were a major damage factor in December's powerful storm, and residents acted to ensure the problem was eliminated by cutting down tree branches, NBC Bay Area reported. December's storms caused widespread damage, from causing power outages to toppling power lines.
Chris Reilly, emergency services manager for the Marin County Sheriff's Office, encouraged people to sign up for the area's telephone emergency notification system so they could receive emergency messages sent out by the emergency management team.
High-powered vacuum trucks belonging to San Francisco's water department worked to prevent possible flooding by clearing debris and gunk accumulated beneath streets, traveling from sewer drain to sewer drain, ABC7 reported.
 The storm arrived in the Pacific Northwest Thursday and is expected to continue soaking the region through early next week.
MORE: California Dec. 2014