Preparation, tech toys help Peninsula residents dodge worst of storm
WOODSIDE, Calif. (KGO) -- The Peninsula saw some serious rain on Thursday as a storm blew through the Bay Area, ranging from crumbling patches of hillside to rising creeks threatening to overflow.
REAL-TIME: Track the rain on Live Doppler 7
Preparation and some new tech toys helped people dodge the worst.
In Woodside, crews had to climb slippery trees and cut them down with chainsaws just to prepare to deal with a slide on Highway 84 near Skyline Boulevard.
The road has been completely shut down since the slide happened on Tuesday and there's no word yet on when it will reopen.
PHOTOS: Major winter storms sweep across Bay Area
In a Redwood City mobile home park, nervous neighbors kept a careful eye on the nearby creek. It overflowed on Tuesday, surrounding houses with up to a foot of water.
The water has receded but not the worry. "The whole place was under water. You couldn't drive," neighbor Dan Hollis said. "I think people here know that it floods and I think we are well prepared."
Menlo Park firefighters came prepared with a drone to help monitor the rain-swollen San Francisquito Creek. They are keeping an eye on the buildup of debris under the bridge at West Bayshore Boulevard.
If the debris chokes off the flow, it could lead to standing water on West Bayshore Boulevard, a nearby apartment complex and even on Highway 101.
RELATED: ABC7 AccuWeather forecast
"We anticipate this rising considerably. It takes about three hours for the rain to make it to this spot," Len Materman said.
The good news is that high tide isn't expected until close to midnight, so it shouldn't be a factor. Also, Caltrans has heavy equipment on standby to clear away the debris before it clogs the creek and triggers flooding.
Click here for a full list of storm-related school closures.
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