From downed trees to power outages and flooded streets, Friday’s storm caused major problems for many East Bay residents.
In Berkeley, the lowest stretch of Ashby Avenue, near Seventh Street, turned into a small lake in the afternoon. Some drivers tried their luck and drove it through the flood waters.
But at least five cars stopped.
A city worker who responded to the flooding estimated that the deepest part of the makeshift lake was about four feet.
“There were two cars stuck already. No, we’re fine,” said Julian Johnson, who saw two cars in front of him stopped on Ashby Avenue.
Johnson drove Alexis Pearson to work.
“We don’t want to experience that. I don’t want my engine to die at all,” Pearson said. “I hate the rain, with a passion. This is one of the reasons why I hate the rain.”
There was also flooding on city streets and highways across the East Bay. A portion of westbound I-580 near Downtown Oakland experienced flooding Friday afternoon, with the two left lanes under inches of water.
The slippery roads also caused many accidents due to poor visibility.
The CHP asked the public to stay home if possible.
“It takes longer to stop when it’s wet. Make sure you drive safe speeds, slow down in the rain and stay away from your phone,” said Officer Michael Aquino of the Dublin CHP Division.
The strong winds also toppled trees and power lines. In the Oakland Hills, off Sequoyah Road, PG&E workers said a downed power line knocked out electricity to about 1,000 customers Friday afternoon.
One caregiver said she couldn’t cook lunch for her patient because the electric stove was useless without power.
“The force affects us a lot because I am a healthcare provider. My client is hungry, she is 90 years old. She cannot eat.” said the woman who declined to give her name. “This is a major inconvenience for her because she has dementia.”
