The Brief
- Bay Area residents live in a region that is vulnerable to earthquakes, wildfires, atmospheric rivers and yes, flash floods, KTVU meteorologist Roberta Gonzales says.
- The same safety tips that protect people during flash floods also apply during the Bay Area’s fires, earthquakes, and storms.
- Preparation isn’t about fear — it’s about being ready to protect your family, your home, and your community when disaster strikes, she says.
OAKLAND, Calif. – This week, devastating flash flooding tore through parts of southern New Mexico, where burn-scarred hillsides, left barren after recent wildfires, couldn’t absorb heavy monsoon rains. Homes were swept away, cars submerged, and residents had just moments to escape.
At the same time, Texas is reeling from historic and deadly flooding. After enduring weeks of relentless storms, entire towns in central and eastern Texas have been underwater. Rivers overflowed, streets turned into rivers, and thousands were forced to evacuate.
And yet, here in the Bay Area, some ask: Why should we care?
Could flooding like Texas and New Mexico happen in the Bay Area?
We are not immune. We live in a region that is vulnerable to earthquakes, wildfires, atmospheric rivers and yes, flash floods, KTVU meteorologist Roberta Gonzales says. And what’s happening in New Mexico and Texas is part of a much bigger pattern: climate-driven extremes happening faster, harder, and more unpredictably. …