Heavy rain and powerful wind raged through San Jose over the weekend, affecting the most vulnerable communities. Luckily, the worst of the weather is behind us, officials say.
The recent atmospheric river storm resulted in broken trees that blocked roads, fell on homes and damaged cars. Approximately 700,000 people lost power throughout the Bay Area, and homeless residents living near San Jose’s Guadalupe River were forced to evacuate.
Mayor Matt Mahan declared a state of emergency Saturday evening in order to enforce evacuation orders for people living in flood hotspots.
“San Jose had first responders and teams at City Hall who were out morning and night making sure our housed and homeless neighbors were safe from the storm,” Mahan told San José Spotlight. “We still have far too many neighbors without power and some property damage to contend with, but thanks to proper preparation and communication, no lives were lost.”
Dalton Behringer, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said San Jose saw 1.5 to 2 inches of rain in the valley, while areas near and in the Santa Cruz mountains saw 4 to 5 inches of rain — much less than last year’s storms. What made this storm unique, however, was the incredibly powerful winds with gusts up to 80 miles per hour in some spots.