Thousands Flee San Jose in Panic as Forecasters Predict Winds and Rain
As weather conditions deteriorated late Thursday with hundreds of tiny raindrops and breezy winds, an otherwise calm and subdued holiday season turned into panic and mayhem as thousands frantically took to the roads, trying to get out of the city in search of dry land.
“We are going to stay with relatives in New Orleans,” said one couple driving to Mineta International Airport. “At least until the eye passes.”
Mayor Reed toured the many wet areas in Oldsmobile One during the early hours of Friday morning, assessing damage with the Director of the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
“There is an inordinate amount of slippery pavement, downed tree branches and muddy conditions,” said OES Director, Henry Renteria. “This is a threat that we haven’t faced since 2005.”
As a result of OES’s grim report, Governor Schwarzenegger said he would take no chances and declared an immediate state of emergency.
“Whee ah Kahlifornians,” he said. “Whee know hoaw do resphond en de face off deesastar.”
As City officials warned stranded tourists to flee to high ground or stay in buildings above the third floor, Councilman Forrest Williams directed hundreds of emergency teams that had set up a makeshift shelter at HP Pavilion, offering safe haven to those in need of a hair dryer and fresh socks.
Good one!
I was wondering why I saw Lloyd LaCuesta heading into HP Pavillion this morning. Now I know!
Just curious. The reporters that head to the Sierras several times a year to stand in the falling snow for their “live reports” – do they carpool?
Can’t kronkabcktvukpix reduce their carbon footprint by recycling last year’s “live” standing-in-the-falling-snow report?
Or is weather reporting exempt from Kyoto protocols? It’s all so confusing.
As I enter my final year on the City Council, I want to assure my fellow citizens that I will serve them as I have during the past seven years. I will fight for basic services (public safety and infrastructure), fight against wasteful spending and keep my remarks brief and to the point.
Happy New Year my fellow San Joseans.
After reading #2’s comment “…keep my remarks brief and to the point”, we know now this was written by an impostor. The “real” Forrest would/could never commit to anything like that.
It’s a wonder all the presidential hopefuls haven’t joined Forrest to show their solidarity with our 53 electoral votes in Kaleeephornia. This storm extends all the way down to North San Diego County.
Is Forrest sending out recsue parties to collect the homeless along the now-Mighty Guadalupe River?
A while back, Jack wrote a column on disaster preparedness, and I was a bit disappointed in the outcome. I was hoping more information would be shared about what to do in case of a natural, or another kind of disaster because our County really is not properly prepared to handle it. Well, yesterday’s storm, and today’s aftermath has proven that to me.
First, I want to acknowledge the excellent jobs the Police, Fire, and City’s Streets and Traffic Departments did yesterday. Between 5-6 very large trees fell on everything from cars, buildings, on light poles, to electronic gates within a few hours, just around my complex. The Police were there in just minutes after a large tree fell on a light pole and knocked it into on going traffic on Bascom Ave. I was absolutely amazed at how many idiots were speeding in this rain and wind!
I looked out the window as several of them went flying around the corner and almost hit the Police car trying to slow traffic down, and keep drivers from hitting the light pole sticking out one full car lane across. About two hours later, I saw the City’s Streets and Traffic out there getting the trees, and light pole out of traffic. They worked well into the night. I was very impressed by how quickly the Police, and Streets and Traffic, and Fire Fighters responded to calls for help. Way to go guys and thank you!
What severely disturbed me is the way people were driving, and how much damage was done, and how few people pitched in to help clean up. My fiancé lives next door at San Jose Greens Apartments. They had an extreme amount of damage because it is a beautiful property with lots of glorious trees. Many of them had fallen on the electric gates, buildings, in walkways, and in front of the doorways. We walked over and helped the manager by pulling limbs out of walkways, off the steps so people could get into their homes. I was amazed to see young, healthy people standing around outside yakking on their cell phones, and not pitching in. I thought we were supposed to stay off phones during times like these so emergency calls can get through!
I was also disappointed in our neighborhood Association because not one of them came out to see if everyone was okay. A group of we RENTERS, checked on one another, and then walked together checking on homeowners on Starview who had trees, and debris on their cars, and fences. It was really bad here. Isn’t that what neighbors are supposed to do, take care of one another?
I’m also very disgusted with the media for asking people to call in with “storm stories.” Yeah, let’s tie up phone lines, let injured folks suffer, and make the Police, and Emergency workers jobs that much tougher. Man, I really think we’re screwed in a bad natural disaster. We are just not prepared at all~
Kathleen,
“you asked about disaster preparedness”, how about what`s going to happen to us in a couple of years on our freeways? Grid locks on all freways. Any plans…?
Greg #8—you know for a fact that some SJ police and firefighters live out of STATE???!!!
How can that be allowed? PG&E put it’s entire workforce on standby for this series of storms. I should think police and fire agencies would do the same. How can that work if they live out of STATE? In perfect conditions, there is no way anyone from out of state can get to SJ in less than 4 hours.
#6- Good question. Maybe Tom can give us his thoughts on this issue. I agree with JMO, until we make mass transit convenient to everyone, we’ll all keep driving our cars.
When my sister endured several hurricanes in Florida, they had to evacuate. I asked her how driving out of there went, and she said they are so well organized there, that it was very easy.
My brother lives in Conn. They have lots of pretty bad snowstorms and floods. They too have great preparedness. I lived there and they have plans for everything.
Sad to think we don’t. I have often wondered what would happen here if we had to evacuate, due to an earthquake. My skin crawls just trying to imagine it. Getting out of here would be like trying to spit into the ocean to cause a wave. YIKES! :-(
It’s more than people getting out. A large fraction of our police and firemen live out in the Central Valley. Some live out of state. How are they going to get here in an emergency?
It’s not a question of salary. Police and fire make over 100K. They just work fewer days, and can choose to live further away. (Since they have to drive it less often.)
Firefighters should be required to live in SJ. Thousands of “qualified” people apply for these spots and SJ hires less then 20. Qualified peope would do the job for less money so instead of reducing their salary let’s make living in SJ a requirement for firefighters.
#8- Greg, are you sure about that? Police Officers living in the Central Valley? That sounds odd.
Out of State?! I don’t think that’s true. Would you be kind enough to share with us where you got that information?
#11 Kathleen
Greg is correct. I remember reading a story in the Merc some time ago about a number of SJ police officers and fire fighters living in Central Valley and other distant towns like Tracy, Stockton, Modesto and Hollister. I wonder how they would get here after a natural disaster like an earthquake?
#12—Tracy & Hollister, etc. are not out of STATE, Jack. That was my question and Kathleen’s to Greg.
Anyone have the answer?
And a LARGE FRACTION living in Central Valley. Really?
#13 JMOC
If you read Kathleen’s post #11, you will see that she asks:
“Are you sure about this? Police officers living in the CENTRAL VALLEY?”
This is obviously the question from Kathleen that I addressed. I don’t see how it is possible to commute here from out of state, unless police officers are making enough to buy a Lear Jet.
I am pretty sure that Greg meant to say “out of the county” not “out of the state,” although, like you, I am waiting to hear from him to tell us for sure what he meant.
John and Jack,
The merc article a few years back featured a small group of officers. A few lived in Tahoe / Reno area. One lived in southern Oregon.
Main problem which is obvious. There should be some “affordable” housing incentives for Teachers, Police, and fire staff. Novato (Marin) have just done significant investments like this.
It makes more sense to keep these city employees living local
Even little things like the City’s website can’t handle an emergency. Currently, if you go to the site, there is an update on the storms and the power outages. There is also a link to PG&E’s SafetyNet site but it doesn’t work. Even if you correct the forward slash to a back slash in the URL it still doesn’t work. Better be prepared because when the big one comes we’ll be on our own.
Greg Perry,
I make over 100k and can’t afford a home in san jose. Or could you be so kind as to show me where I can buy a home on my low income. the neighborhood needs to have safety, schools, and parks for my kids. I couldn’t find that here.
affordable-
Same here. I rent, too.
But 100K isn’t a low income. It’s above the median. More than half of households in the county are worse off than either of us. Neither of us should get subsidized housing.
My point was that no one with an above average income should get a government subsidy.
I meant what I wrote when I said out of state. A large fraction in the Central Valley, and a few out of state.
My source of information is talking to city staff when I was on the Mountain View city council. We had one who lived in Nevada. I was assured that this was not the norm, but also not uncommon.
And yes, a large fraction live in the Central Valley. It’s a major concern in Mountain View’s emergency plan. I suspect the same is true of San Jose’s plan, though I haven’t read theirs.
By concern, I do not mean either plan even attempts a solution. Ours just mentions that there aren’t many ways to get here, and that public safety people may have problems getting to work if infrastructure is clogged or damaged.
This is NOT an issue of affordable housing. Police and Fire make considerably more than the average person. They can live here just as easily as we can.
With overtime, public safety people get over 100K per year, and none of that has to go towards retirement savings, since they also get a full pension when they turn 50.
It’s allowed because the unions ask for it, and no one in politics wants to pick a fight with public safety unions. What politician wants to be branded as soft on crime? It’s a lot easier just to go with the flow and hope that any problems occur on someone else’s watch.
So, Greg # 18, R U talking about SJPD or Mt. View PD?
Mr. Perry.
I was surprised by the absence of analytical effort evidenced in your post (#17). How about we burn a few calories in our brains and examine the conclusions you’ve reached courtesy of your experience serving on a city council:
1. You view as a “major concern” the possibility that clogged or damaged infrastructure will prevent employees residing in the Central Valley to get to their work posts. Is this in addition to the major concern about the ability of employees living in Half Moon Bay, Felton, and Aptos to make it in to work? I wonder when the last time an earthquake or storm prevented a city employee from making it in from the Central Valley? I need not wonder about a storm that kept workers living in the mountains or on the coast at home, because it happened just last week—as it does every few years when we have a rain storm serious enough to down trees or cause hillsides to give way.
The fact that city workers live out of the area is just that, a fact. That it is a fact that might impact emergency services in one particular scenario—for instance, a major quake knocking down freeways, is simply not sufficient reason to jump to a conclusion of any kind. In truth, a quake capable of knocking down freeways would also knock down local bridges and isolate individual neighborhoods, leaving some locally-based employees incapable of getting in to work.
2. You say their buying in the Central Valley was not about affordability. Really. What was it then, the cool summers and lush landscapes of Modesto, or Tracy, or Manteca? Nonsense. Absent a huge income, a young family looking for a roomy home locally was confronted with the realities of rotten neighborhoods, low-performing schools, and money-pit fixer-uppers. Contrast that to the Central Valley, where first time buyers got 40% more house at 60% the price, in a new neighborhood filled with young families like themselves.
3. You believe that public safety employees can afford to live here because they make “over 100k a year.” Are you of the opinion that city employees should put their personal lives on hold for the five or ten years it takes them to reach those top salaries, or are you completely ignorant of the pay-step system used everywhere in government?
Public safety employees are screened at hiring for maturity and stability, and young people with those characteristics are highly motivated to start families and become home owners. Home prices, safe neighborhoods, and schools are the major concerns for them. How could we even expect them to take less than they could get?
By the way, I’m not even sure that public safety employees in the smaller cities, such as Mt. View, top out at that 100K mark.
4. You claim that none of their (public safety employees) salaries go towards retirement savings. Please name the cities that do not require a sizable employee contribution in their retirement systems? I’m aware of none (certainly not the state system, PERS).
If you resent the salaries and retirement benefits of our public safety employees, so be it, but that is no excuse to attack them for buying homes and building communities…
that is, unless you’re one of the liberal herd who support the American Dream only when it’s being pursued by illegal aliens.
Once again, finfan destroys his own argument due to his liberal paranoia. It always comes back to the liberals with him. It’s unfortunate because he was almost starting to make a bit of sense until his last couple of lines. Then his post completely self-destructs and reminded us there is always a “catch” when it comes to ff. Watch out behind you!
FF-
The last time it happened was 1906.
I’m not talking about a big storm.
I’m talking about a large earthquake that ruptures gas lines and takes out a multiple freeway overpasses at the same time.
If that happens, we’ll have several fires from the gas leaks. Walk around older neighborhoods and count the shake roofs to get an idea of how that might spread.
If our firemen live on the wrong side of a collapsed freeway, they will be unable to get here to put those fires out.
Yes, to me, that is a “major concern”.
Local road failures worry me less, because there are so many alternatives. If I’m willing to take side streets, I have dozens of ways to get from my home to San Jose. It isn’t likely that all routes will be bad for all areas.
The same is not true for a commute from the Central Valley. There are very few roads that enter the county from the east. If those fail, then firemen will not be able to get here.
ff #24, second half.
That is exactly the sort of discussion we need.
We need to plan for 1906. Every once in a long while, 1906 happens, and 2 million people will suffer if we fail to plan for it.
Similarly, New Orleans would be better off if they had planned for what happened to Galveston in 1900.
In either case, plan for who needs to get here, how long can we wait for them to arrive, what materials are needed, where can we get them, and so on.
Without that kind of plan, people die. It’s more important than whether someone gets to live where they want.
#22—If I “destroyed” any part of my argument, please point it out to me. No, what I did, and what apparently offended you, was to point out the absurdity of the mindset that finds it reasonable to criticize a class of people who’ve worked hard, bought the house of their choosing, paid their taxes, and started their own families. That class of people is, of course, public employees. In the upside-down world of liberal California, no criticism is too harsh when aimed at public employees, while no criticism is tolerated of those here illegally.
#23—If what happened in 1906 is going to form the basis for our day-to-day lifestyle decisions, then I suppose that PG&E workers, paramedics, and medical professionals should also have restrictions placed on where they live, as their services will be at least as important as those of the firefighters and cops. Also, given current staffing levels, if fires broke out to the extent that they did in 1906 (in SF) our fire services would be challenged to cover 5% of the city, even if the entire department turned out.