South Bay residents prepare for approaching storms

SAN JOSE, Calif. - In South San Jose, on Tuesday, an ounce of prevention, in one case, came packaged as sand. Hundreds of sandbags sat outside a fence and were ready for pick-up by residents in need.

"I’m watching the weather, and they say the big one is coming in tomorrow," said one man who asked not to be identified, as he loaded his SUV with 10 sandbags.

This station, near Winfield Boulevard and Almaden Lake Drive, is one-of-four operated by Valley Water. Officials said now’s the time for residents to check if they live in a flood zone and are at risk of being affected by heavy rainfall.

"You don’t want to be in the middle of the rain, the water is rising and coming up to your garage door or your backdoor or something like that, and you need sandbags, and you don’t have them, and you have to go get them," said Matt Keller, a spokesperson for Santa Clara Valley Water.

The South Bay could see a considerable amount of rain from Wednesday through Friday. And the total accumulation for the Santa Cruz Mountains and Central Coast, could be even greater than the South Bay.

"It’s a lot of rain over a short period of time. So we’re very concerned about flooding. We’re trying to let people know if their property has flooded in the past, it’s likely to happen again," said Jason Hoppin, a Santa Cruz County spokesperson.

So, crews from various municipalities have been clearing tens of thousands of storm drains and catch basins to reduce the risk of localized flooding. Additionally, there are concerns strong winds could topple trees, weakened by already saturated soil.

"And so that’s why we have the concern about trees. Once the soil gets wet, even a well-established tree can blow over in high winds," said Colin Hayne, a spokesman for the San Jose Dept. of Transportation.

Pacific Gas & Electric's officials said they’re relying on their forecast models to deploy extra staff and equipment ahead of the next series of storms.

"We’re gonna see trees and debris falling onto powerlines, damaging equipment, which leads to power outages," said utility spokeswoman Stephanie Magallon.

Officials stressed people avoid touching downed lines and driving through flooded intersections. Instead, call 911.

"We’re going to be monitoring the waterways during the storm. And then after the storm we’ll go out and make sure there’s no blockages for when the next storm comes," said Keller.

To lessen the chance of blockages, Keller said residents should collect leaves around their property or near storm drains now, so that it doesn’t cause flooding later.

Also, check emergency kits now so that if there is a power outage for a length of time, you’re prepared.

Jesse Gary is a reporter based in the station's South Bay bureau. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter), @JesseKTVU and on Instagram, @jessegontv