Officials urge Bay Area to stay vigilant ahead of next storm, not give into 'storm fatigue'
MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- In the North Bay, it's been a race against time this weekend, to re-route a critical gas line around a landslide that's still active. A 14-mile stretch of southbound U.S. Highway 101 between Petaluma and Novato was closed overnight Sunday, allowing the work to take place. With more rain on the way, first responders are urging rain-weary neighbors to be ready for more flooding and downed trees.
Portions of southbound Highway 101 in Marin County reopened at 2 p.m. Sunday, after PG&E successfully completed the delicate job of re-routing a major underground gas pipeline around a massive landslide in Novato, that's still moving.
Crews had to cut through the frontage road and Highway 101 to lay the temporary bypass on the median divide, then back across the freeway. The landslide happened during last Tuesday's bomb cyclone storm.
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"The pipe was not damaged during that event, but we have additional weather systems coming in the days ahead. We wanted to have a contingency plan to ensure the delivery of utilities to Marin County," said Marin County spokesperson Laine Hendricks.
A new storm could bring more of what we've seen too much of this rainy season: flooding and downed trees. First responders know many in the Bay Area are suffering from "storm fatigue."
"We're just concerned the public is getting numb to the hazards and risks that storms pose, it's kind of become business as usual," said Marin County Fire Battalion Chief Graham Groneman.
Groneman urges the public to stay vigilant his department getting ready for the next round of rain.
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"We may be looking at additional staffing, additional equipment," Groneman said.
Novato homeowner John McMullin was making the best of a dry day to get in some yard work.
"I'm back out today because I know it's coming," McMullin said.
Some homeowners are going to extremes to keep flooding away. Some folks have built a wall.
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"We're the house that's affected most on the street," said Jaqueline Vega.
Vega shared pictures of past flooding on Armstrong Avenue. She says it's happened too frequently -- water coming from a nearby drainage ditch.
"This is all we can all we can do at this point," she said.
With more rain coming, the Bay Area is gearing up to get wet again.
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