The break in the rain Sunday gave people time to assess the damage from the storm, and for many, it was worse than they first thought.
Crews were trying to pump out the water that was so high Saturday night, it covered headlights. And in San Mateo, some cars were still submerged.
Jim Garibaldi was there Saturday night and was stunned to watch a woman drive her car into a flooded street.
“It basically lost traction, it floated and then it submerged in two minutes all you could see was the tail light and then the entire car went underwater,” he said. “I wanted to jump in.”
He called 911 and said a San Mateo Police officer arrived, jumped into the water and rescued the woman from her submerged car. He said firefighters arrived and helped her get out of the water and into an ambulance.
Flooding also created problems in East Palo Alto Saturday night when the San Francisquito Creek started spilling over banks, turning streets into rivers.
Water rushed into an underground parking garage of an apartment complex on Manhattan Avenue.
Crews were using electric pumps and muscle power to clear the mud and water.
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But when Bryan Sainz and his family finally made it, their four-vehicles parked in the garage -- they were devastated.
“We had two minivans in there and two sports cars and we tried to take them as fast as we could but when we got to them they are totaled,” he said.
Now he’s left wondering how he and his family will get to work 20 minutes away.
“We're not sure about going to work, it's a bad situation,” he said.
At another home, water seeped into the garage leaving the owner checking for damage.
“Looks like furniture, maybe some drywall,” said Jon Rodriguez of East Palo Alto.
Others are navigating mud in homes and on streets, and with more rain ahead they‘re bracing for a possible second round of flooding.
