Pedestrians, residents and businesses battled street flooding Wednesday night as a major storm passed through, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.
Around 7 p.m., the rain band moving north to south stalled over San Francisco, soaking the city in a torrential downpour. Several rain gauges across the city recorded an inch of rain between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. — an about 1-in-25-year rainfall rate, according to historic estimates from the National Weather Service. The deluge was reminiscent of the New Year's Eve storm of 2022.
Pedestrians walking through the Mission District resorted to walking in the street to avoid the flooded intersections and sidewalks.
Hugo Briceno, who works at Yellow Moto Pizzeria on Valencia Street, put trash bags around his feet to wade into a flooded storm drain and clear it out.
Water had pooled in the gutter overflowing into the sidewalk and forcing pedestrians to walk in the street as cars drove by. He used a broom initially before going in with his hands to dig leaves out of the drain while rain poured down. Briceno said it needed to be done to keep the sidewalk safe.
He said this spot typically gets clogged every time there is heavy rain. Once he got the leaves out, the water on the sidewalk drained and it became usable.
A resident on Folsom Street took to using hoses to drain out water that had flooded into his home. On Ocean Avenue, heavy flooding submerged parts of the street-level Muni tracks. SFMTA postponed all cable car service for the night due to the rain.
Comments
Post a Comment