Tree Falls On Danville Streets, Front Street Closed

DANVILLE, CA — Rain continues into Thursday morning in Danville as another atmospheric river drenches the Bay Area. The town is still under a Local Emergency, which will end Jan. 10.

The area remains under an Areal Flood Warning (meaning that flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying areas is imminent or occurring) until 1:45 p.m. It is also under an advisory (minor flooding expected) until 12:45, and a watch (flooding possible) until 4 p.m. Thursday. Heavy rain is expected to taper off around the afternoon, making way for a partly cloudy, windy Friday. Rain is expected to resume Saturday and continue through the week.

Danville recorded a 24-hour total of 1.07 inches of rain as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This was about average for the East Bay, where totals ranged from 0.69 inches in Livermore to 1.76 inches in Oakland.

In Danville, a tree fell at Clipper Hill Road and Windward Drive Wednesday night, and badly damaged a home, based on photos from the San Ramon Valley Fire District. The fallen tree also caused a power outage affecting six homes, the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District reported. As of Thursday at noon, there are no outages reported in Danville, though an outage in unincorporated Alamo is affecting 103 customers, while another in Walnut Creek is affecting 55.

The town also announced Thursday afternoon that the northbound side of Front Street from Diablo Road to Rose Street is closed due to erosion of the creekside embankment. A full closure is expected early Friday morning so that crews can stabilize the embankment and remove a tree.

The Town of Danville said its crews are monitoring creekside areas throughout the town, clearing draining inlets at Osage Station Park, and working with homeowners and HOA’s to clear debris. Lt. Ron Marley of the San Ramon Valley Fire District told Patch that heavy rain in Danville only lasted about 90 minutes, but the ground was already so saturated from previous rain that many areas experienced some degree of flooding.

The area south of Sycamore Valley Road and north of Paraiso Drive, a low-lying area, is particularly prone to flooding, and was put under a cautionary but non-mandatory evacuation, Marley said. Today, the streets of Danville are littered with downed branches and debris, and driving is still not advised unless absolutely necessary. Still, compared to many coastal areas, Danville had a relatively easy time of it, he said.

“The wind did do what it was supposed to do, it got quite gusty, so there’s trees and branches down everywhere, not just here but everywhere,” he said. “We only had one or two [downed wire reports]...It looked like a heavy piece of the storm shifted south to Monterey. I think part of what we thought might have been coming our way went south.”

Danville students are scheduled to return to school Tuesday, when a relatively calm two hours of precipitation is expected to bring 0.18 inches of rain to the town. SRVUSD spokesperson Ilana Samuels said that the Contra Costa County Office of Emergency Services does not anticipate the need to close any of its schools. “That being said, we of course are permitted to make our own decision to go virtual/close a school or schools if warranted. At this time, we do not anticipate doing that,” she wrote in an email. “We will of course continue to keep a close watch on the situation. Our SRVUSD Maintenance and Custodial teams have been working hard through all of these recent storms to ensure our schools buildings and property stay dry with no leaks.”

Sandbags remain available at the Town Maintenance Center on 1000 Sherburne Hills Road. Danville residents can pick up up to 20 sandbags. See here for more information.

Anyone in unincorporated Contra Costa County can pick up sandbags at any of six locations around the county.

The town has offered a number of safety tips on driving, downed power lines, fallen trees, and power outages here.

To report clogged storm drains, downed trees, or flooding, call Danville Maintenance at 925-314-3450 ( (M-Th 7:30 am–4:00 pm, Fri 7:30 am–1:00 pm). After hours, call the town’s non-emergency dispatch at 925-820-2144. Residents can also make reports online at www.danville.ca.gov/danvilleconnect.

Danville police will release public safety information through Nixle. To sign up, text your zip code to 888777. For more options, visit nixle.com.

Here are a number of local contacts:

• Danville Police: 925-820-2144
• San Ramon Police: 925-973-2779
• Contra Costa County Sheriff: 925-646-2441
• San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District: 925-838-6691

Other Resources:

• Contra Costa Animal Services: 925-335-8300
• East Bay Municipal Utilities District: 866-403-2683
• PG&E: 800-743-5000
• Flood Tips from FEMA: www.ready.gov/floods

What have you seen during the storms? Email Michael.wittner@patch.com with tips and photos.