North Bay prepares for major storm

Public agencies are ratcheting up preparations for a fierce winter storm expected to strike the North Coast late Wednesday night with high winds and a torrent of rainfall certain to wreak all kinds of havoc through the night and most of Thursday, at least.

With gusting winds and up to 8 inches of rain predicted for the coastal hills, emergency officials are anticipating flooding, power failures, downed trees and road conditions so bad they’re urging anyone who can stay home to do so.

And that’s if the weather system moves through the region as swiftly as it’s supposed to, without getting stalled overhead - which remains a possibility, forecasters and emergency personnel said.

“It’s going to be a big storm,” Sonoma County Emergency Services Manager Christopher Helgren said, citing the National Weather Service’s high degree of confidence in the modeling used to predict the impact. “It’s going to make last week’s look like child’s play, is what they said.”

The last storm approaching this magnitude was on Jan. 19 and 20, 2012, when 2.77 inches fell in 24 hours in Santa Rosa, National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Anderson said Tuesday.

By comparison, what’s coming is expected to dump 3 to 5 inches of rain in most areas of Sonoma County, arriving with sustained, high winds gusting up to 50 mph inland and up to 70 mph on the Sonoma Coast, Anderson said.

High wind advisories and flash flood watches were set to go into effect late Wednesday throughout the North Coast and greater Bay Area.

A high surf advisory is in effect until 4 a.m. Friday, with combined waves and surf expected to reach 20 feet. Occasional breakers along the surf expected to exceed 20 feet. Forecasters said conditions in the surf and along the shore would be extremely hazardous.

Winds should set in Wednesday evening, followed by rain beginning at about 10 p.m. and growing in intensity, with the heaviest rainfall setting in around 5 or 6 a.m. - just in time for the Thursday morning commute - through to around noon, Anderson said.

That means flooding across low-lying intersections and roadways, overflowing creeks, potential landslides and what Anderson called “massive power outages” for which residents were being urged to lay aside supplies.

Several North Coast rivers, though slower to react, are also predicted to reach flood stage Thursday, cresting several feet above flood stage mostly later in the day, though the lower Russian River should reach maximum height on Friday afternoon, about 4½ feet above flood stage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s California Nevada River Forecast Center.

The river was predicted to rise above flood stage in Hopland on Thursday, cresting about 5½ feet above flood stage, while the Navarro River in Mendocino County was expected to crest more than 11½ feet over flood stage and is likely to close Highway 128 near the coast.

CHP Officer Jon Sloat said motorists out and about late Wednesday and, especially, Thursday morning should expect to be detoured around traditional flood-prone intersections and roadways such as Rohnert Park Expressway and Stony Point Road, Highways 12 and 121 in Schellville, and Highway 101 at San Antonio Creek near the Sonoma-Marin county line.

Sloat said drivers also need to slow way down, especially on curving on- and offramps, where many wet-weather crashes occur, and cloverleaf junctions such as Highways 101 and 12. “People end up entering them too hot and then sliding off the road,” he said.

Sloat and others also urged drivers to turn back when encountering flooded roadways, with Helgren noting that a vehicle can float off the road in just a few inches of water.

“We do not want to use the resources with fire and police to come out because you made a bad choice,” Sloat said.

Sonoma County and most cities had sandbag stations up and running by Tuesday, allowing residents of those communities to prepare for flooding. A dozen or so hardware and building supply stores scattered around the county also sell bags and sand that can be used to help prevent flooding.

Helgren urged residents who don’t already have a disaster preparedness kit to make one now, before Thursday arrives, stocking water, nonperishable foods, batteries, flashlights and other supplies in the event of flooding, power failures or both.

“This is going to be heavy (rain) for 12 to 16 hours,” he said.

Local government crews have been spending their days bracing for the storm by clearing storm drains, gutters and culverts to prevent runoff from backing up; checking equipment; and readying utility vehicles to be mobilized when necessary.

“We’ve sent word out to all of our volunteers in the area and asked them to kind of be as available as possible,” Bodega Bay Fire Capt. David Bynum said.?“We’ve sharpened our chain saws and topped off our fuel, and all that good stuff. Usually, big storms mean lots of trees down for us, so we run around from one end to the other chopping up trees. That’s what we usually do.”

PG&E already was staging and preparing to mobilize crews to begin repairs as soon as possible, the company said Tuesday.

Company officials also urged residents to treat any downed or low-hanging power lines as if they were fully energized, and to have flashlights and other battery-operated lighting sources on hand as contingencies. They also reminded customers to unplug appliances in the event of a power disruption so restoration of power does not overload circuits or spark a fire.

With so much foul weather headed toward the area, homeless outreach crews have been busy trying to get to those who live outside, often in areas particularly vulnerable to flooding, to ensure they’re aware of the coming deluge and know about warming stations being set up to help keep people warm and dry, said Jennielynn Holmes, homeless services and housing manager for Catholic Charities of Santa Rosa.

The agency planned Wednesday to invoke its first “Code Blue” of the season, triggering extra services that include the warming stations at the Homeless Services Center, 600 Morgan St., and at the Family Support Center, 465 A St., both in Santa Rosa, as well as a 24-hour hotline people can call to summon help for themselves or others exposed to the harsh weather: 707-800-2927.

But Holmes said the agency is desperately in need of donations such as tarps, rain ponchos, raincoats, boots, dry sleeping bags, even trash bags - anything that can help those she serves to avoid hypothermia and keep their possessions, like clothing and blankets, dry.

“The rain, especially, is so scary,” Holmes said, “because when you’re wet, it’s just so hard to stay warm.”

Donations can be dropped off at the Family Support Center, 465 A St., Santa Rosa.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.