Bay Area houseboat communities prepare for strong weekend storm
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (KGO) -- Bay Area mountain communities are preparing for the worst ahead of this weekend's storm.
RELATED: SC mountain communities clean debris, prepare for more rain
People who live on houseboats are concerned about this weekend's storm. Strong winds and waves can cause serious damage to their homes.
Rule number one of living on a houseboat when a big storm approaches is to make sure the mooring lines are tied tight.
"When the wind is coming in man, it slams on the dock. It's pretty extreme," said Joseph Jacobo, a former houseboat resident. "It gets a little rocky for sure. You can feel it."
James grew up on a houseboat at Docktown Marina. He and his parents are among the eighty or so people who reside here, a mixture of young families, retirees and veterans are drawn by lower rents and the water. "It's just nice, very serene," he said. "Friendly neighbors."
Some of the boats are small and float freely; others could be mistaken for homes on a suburban cul-de-sac and sit atop concrete slabs. Folks here say occasional storms are a way of life and there are only a few precautions you can take.
"For us, we tie our ropes a little tighter to the dock. We try to make sure that all the rocking going on, nothing gets caught on the actual dock itself," said Jacobo. "Sometimes the boat really comes up and we have to make sure everything is secure."
In the meantime, things are looking up in one area that often has flooding problems during big storms. New flood control measures have been installed at the Belmont Mobile Home Park.
Just before Christmas in 2014 the park was evacuated due to high water, but not since the installation of a new system of pipes, pumps and generators that one resident calls 'the octopus.'
"The octopus takes care of anything and our biggest problem is water on the other side of the wall coming into our park, but it has not flooded," said resident Diana Gregory.
What's the weather like #whereyoulive? Share your photos and videos on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook by tagging them #abc7now. Your photos may be shown online or on-air!
