Bay Area residents brace for strong El Nino storm

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Bay Area roadways are currently dry, but in just a few hours morning commuters will be dealing with heavy downpours and slick roads.

The owner of Too Good Auto Body on Pine Street in San Francisco says winter is his busiest season with cars slipping and sliding on wet roads.

"We see a lot of rear end collisions. People aren't stopping in time and not giving themselves enough distance. They tend to smash into the car in front of them," said Steven Chin, owner of Too Good Auto Body.

The average repair cost upwards of $3,000.

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In the Oakland Hills there's a different kind of trouble on the roads. A massive tree came crashing down at Skyline Boulevard and Elverton Drive. Crews worked in the rain to chop it up and get it out of the way.

Homeowners on and around Cayuga Avenue in San Francisco are preparing for the worst. They haven't even recovered from last year's flooding. They blame the city's outdated sewer system.

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"We're asking them to stop flooding our homes with raw sewage and when there is rainy weather that's what happens with us," said Blane Bachelor, a San Francisco resident. "So, we're terrified what's going to happen this winter."

Sandbags are stacked almost knee-high throughout the neighborhood. San Francisco's Public Utilities Commission says crews check hot spots like Cayuga before and during storms.

"It allows us to make sure things is flowing free and clear during those storms and nothing's clogging that might exacerbate the problem," said Tyrone Jue of the SFPUC.

Residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against the city, recently adding an amendment that would stop all development in San Francisco until the problem is fixed, permanently.

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