“For a day and a half, we weren’t able to leave our house at all,” junior Tatum Buoy said. Buoy, like many other students, experienced the effects of the flooding that occurred in early January.
Beginning on Jan. 2, 2026, thousands of Bay Area residents were impacted by king tide flooding, which swept through and damaged many homes and buildings across Marin County, leaving homeowners and local businesses in disarray. Due to this damage, the county is facing approximately $4.35 million in repairs to low-lying communities (SF GATE). Marin is seeking federal assistance to repair these damages.
King tides, which are caused by the alignment of the sun, moon and Earth, occur naturally every winter. However, as they begin to overlap with severe storms and rising sea levels, these tides are raising water levels higher than ever before. According to an SF GATE report, Marin County received 10 to 15 inches of rain from Dec. 18 to Jan. 6, adding on to the tides. This is significant considering Marin typically gets an average of 6.5 inches of rain during the month of January and 6.4 inches in December (city-facts)…