bay area weather

Bay Area communities clean up flooding, prepare for more rain

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The Bay Area had a chance to dry off a bit this weekend after the past few days' deluge. After some high rain totals, some communities are cleaning up flooding, and others are preparing for the next wave of the storm.

The North Bay was pounded by this week's storm, leaving the Russian River cresting just below moderate flood stage on Saturday.

San Francisco got soaked during the storm as well. In the Mission, residents waded through flooded streets and gutters. In the Western Addition, an underpass looked more like a pool. In the Marina, flooded gutters stalled trucks.

Parts of San Francisco are now cleaning up from minor flooding and preparing for more wet weather.

"We have a rain protocol we do know that when it's storming there’s certain things we have to do," said Andee Brown, an employee with Flora Grubb Gardens plant store in the Bayview.

But even that protocol didn't stop water from getting into the store's showroom. Brown explained that the store was closed as a precaution on Friday, and by Saturday morning, employees had to get to work squeegeeing away more than an inch of water.

"Luckily, we had lots of soil in bags which basically double as sandbags and we were able to put those around and kind of divert water from coming in as much as we could," Brown explained.

She also noted that while the water was a hassle to clean up, the plants seemed to enjoy getting an extra watering.

With more rain in the forecast, Flora Grubb employees are elevating some plants off the ground and buttressing some doors to prepare.

Weather in the Bay Area and across the country is putting a wrinkle in many holiday travel plans, too.

Sunday, FlightAware reported that 244 flights were delayed at San Francisco International, but only five were canceled, an improvement over previous days.

"Today the weather is actually really good, we’re hoping for no delays," said traveler Alice Ruhle who was headed to Las Vegas from SFO.

San Francisco residents can continue picking up free sandbags this week at the Marin and Kansas Streets yard from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A Public Works spokesperson noted that in the event of heavy rains, they may extend the hours sandbags are available. If you're interested in picking up sandbags, you are advised to check the public works website or call 311 for the latest details.

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