Storm Threatens Burn Areas

In the Santa Cruz mountains, officials were asking residents to leave their homes where summer wildfires have made conditions ripe for mudslides.

The Santa Cruz County Emergency Operations Center issued a warning to residents on an automated phone notification system around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday alerting residents along Swanton Road in Davenport to evacuate. The voluntary advisory affects about 60 homes.

Spokeswoman Dinah Phillips does not know how many people have heeded the warning.

The Lockheed Fire burned 7,817 acres, or 12 square miles, last August. With little vegetation now on the hillsides, heavy rain could lead to mudslides and debris flow.

Rain also has closed many county roads as well as the San Lorenzo Valley high school, middle school and elementary school.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spokesman Joe Molica said shortly before 9:30 a.m. that nearly 16,000 customers were without power in the Bay Area.

A little more than half of those customers were in the South Bay, mostly in the San Jose area, he said. About 3,090 customers were affected in the East Bay, mainly in Berkeley and Hayward.

In San Francisco and on the Peninsula, about 2,360 customers were without power, as were 1,140 in Napa County.

He said the storm has knocked out power to a total of about 38,800 customers in the greater Bay Area but that PG&E crews have restored power to about 22,800 of those customers.

"We are expecting the brunt of the storm ... to hit later this morning and early this afternoon so these numbers could still fluctuate a bit," he said.

To report a power outage, customers should call (800) PGE-5002.

Molica reminded Bay Area residents to steer clear of downed power lines. "If they see a downed power line, assume it's live and carrying an electric current; do not try to touch it or move it," he said.

The National Weather Service has issued a flurry of warnings and advisories related to the storm.

"We're in the middle of it right now," meteorologist Matt Mehle said at about 10:30 a.m.

High wind warnings are in effect through 11 p.m. in coastal and hilly areas, and high wind advisories have been issued for inland valleys.

The strongest gusts, about 70 mph, were recorded on Mt. Diablo and in Los Gatos, Mehle said.

The California Highway Patrol has been busy responding to dozens of crashes on Bay Area roadways.

"There have been a lot of crashes this morning," CHP spokesman Officer Trent Cross said. "A large majority are speed-related, people driving too fast."

In San Francisco alone, nine crashes were reported and five pedestrians were hit by cars in a three-hour period, San Francisco fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said.

"It's crazy out there," she said.

No pedestrians were seriously injured, she said.

This morning's wild weather is causing delays of up to three hours at San Francisco International Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration anticipates the delays will last the entire day, airport spokesman Mike McCarron said.

The high winds and driving rain have delayed arriving flights this morning, he said, which in turn causes late departures.

While weather-related delays are not uncommon at SFO, McCarron said this morning's storm is "a little more severe than normal."

At Oakland International Airport, spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said the morning was off to a relatively normal start, despite the storm.

"We're actually in really good shape in Oakland," she said. "No delays and no cancellations."

Flights at Mineta San Jose International Airport are also on time, spokesman Rich Dressler said.

Along the coast, A 75-year-old woman was killed in a three-car crash on state Highway 1 at Devil's Slide this morning, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash, reported at about 7:45 a.m., closed the roadway until about 11:30 a.m., CHP Officer Kevin Kroncke said.

The driver of a Nissan Z coupe was traveling south on the narrow, twisted highway and was "going a bit too fast," CHP Officer Shawn Chase said.

The Nissan crossed over the center line and crashed into another car head-on, killing the driver, Chase said.

The driver of the Nissan was taken to San Francisco General Hospital. A third car was also involved in the crash but that driver was not injured.

The off-ramp from northbound U.S. Highway 101 to Fulton Road, north of Santa Rosa, is closed because of flooding, California Highway Patrol Officer Jonathan Sloat said.

Sloat said the off-ramp was fully submerged and was closed at 10:30 a.m.

There have been several minor crashes on Highway 101 this morning in a construction zone between Santa Rosa and Windsor, Sloat said. Caltrans is adding a third lane in each direction and making other improvements along that stretch.

"The water was 6 to 10 inches deep in some places," Sloat said. "Vehicles have been throwing water into oncoming traffic."

The U.S. Navy is canceling today's planned Fleet Week tours of the USS Green Bay, a spokesman said today.

High winds from this morning's storm have been knocking over safety fences and creating slippery, treacherous conditions on Pier 30/32, Lt. j.g. Ryan de Vera said.

"Getting from the pier to the ship itself would pose a little bit of a risk," he said.

The USS Green Bay was part of Fleet Week's parade of ships on Saturday, and was scheduled to be open for free tours Sunday, Monday and today from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. De Vera said more than 4,500 people visited the ship over the past two days.

De Vera said the ship's crew regrets the cancellation but that visitors' safety is the top priority.

"We had a great time here and we appreciate everyone's interest," he said. "It was a pleasure for the crew to show off our ship."

The city of Oakland is offering residents and business up to 20 sandbags and 50 feet of plastic sheeting to help them prepare for storms like the one that has hit the Bay Area today.

The Oakland Public Works Agency announced Monday that the storm supplies are available to Oakland residents at two agency offices -- the municipal service center at 7101 Edgewater Drive and the drainage maintenance satellite office at 5921 Shepherd Canyon Road.

Alternatively, up to five sandbags can be picked up at various local fire stations. A list of participating stations is available on the agency's Web site, www.oaklandpw.com.

Public works officials are looking for volunteers to help prevent flooding by keeping storm drains free of debris during wet weather. Those who join the "Adopt-A-Spot" campaign and agree to monitor a neighborhood storm drain will be given a free set of rain gear, a rake and debris bags. Anyone interested in volunteering should call (510) 238-7630.

Residents can also help out by checking and cleaning private drains, placing leaves and green trimmings in green carts for weekly recycling, keeping natural waterways such as creeks free of obstructions, and reporting any flooding to the public works agency at (510) 615-5566.