The rain has returned to Northern California, which means gardeners have some chores to do to protect plants and take advantage of the extra moisture. (Getty Images)
SAN JOSE – With another punishing storm system on its doorstep, the city of San Jose on Tuesday night proclaimed a state of emergency and issued a mandatory evacuation order for unhoused residents who live near the metropolis’ largest waterways.
Signed by City Manager Jennifer Maguire, the proclamation gives the city the emergency powers it needs to respond to storm events, according to a city news release.
“San Jose is taking this extra precautionary step during this storm surge to protect our residents, particularly our most vulnerable unhoused neighbors,” Mayor Matt Mahan said in the release. “We want to make sure all residents are informed and prepared to stay safe, and that city staff has the ability to move quickly to relocate encampments that are in harm’s way.”
Teams have been dispatched to notify people of weather conditions, recommend they move, help find shelter and deliver supplies to those who choose to remain outside, according to the news release.
In addition, the city said it would broadcast the evacuation order via a “long-range audio device” at its Central Service Yard on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. However, a reporter with this news organization did not see or hear any activity at the center Tuesday evening.
Similarly, no evacuation order-related actions were observed along Coyote Creek.
San Jose police were also expected to issue loud speaker announcements along Coyote Creek, the Guadalupe River and Penitencia Creek, according to the news release.
“The city’s top priority is the health and safety of our most vulnerable populations,” Maguire said in the release. “Together with our partners, we are working to notify our unhoused residents in or near our creeks of the danger of flooding in inclement weather and assist them to shelter and safety. This proclamation will direct the evacuation of all people living along our rivers, creeks and waterways and enable us to ensure that we reach and evacuate people from those dangerous locations.”
Unhoused residents were not being forcefully removed from waterways as of Tuesday night, but the proclamation gives the city that power if needed, said Rachael Davis, a spokesperson for the mayor.
The city said it is working to add more beds to its shelters, and overnight warming locations remain in operation at the Roosevelt Community Center and West Valley Branch Library. The locations, which are available by referral only, are open from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m.; unhoused residents can email owlreferrals@homefirstscc.org or call 408-539-2105.
Additional shelters are available through Santa Clara County, and unhoused residents can contact the Here4You Call Center at 408-385-2400 to find a placement.
Impacts from the storm system, which is expected to arrive early Wednesday, will include widespread flooding and power outages, dangerous winds, and a “direct threat to life and property,” the National Weather Service said in a bulletin Tuesday night.
The incoming system would not typically trigger evacuation orders and dire predictions, but the region has been soaked by successive atmospheric rivers since last week, leaving saturated soils unable to absorb the coming rains. That excess water will become runoff swelling creeks and rivers and pooling in low-lying and flat areas.
Check back for updates.
Staff writers Katie Lauer and Gabriel Greschler contributed to this report.
Originally published at Jason Green