Region's Flood Updates: Neighborhoods Under Evacuation Near Coyote Creek; Several East Bay Roads Closed

PHOTOS: Crews handling major flooding in San Jose and conducting water rescue operations in Coyote Creek as rising waters trap people in trees. Niles Canyon Road/SR 84 closed and clogged with storm debris. Mudslide closes Palomares Road in Fremont.

-------

BAY AREA, CA – Excessive rain in parts of eastern Alameda County has caused flooding and mudslides, resulting in several road closures today, county officials said. Meanwhile in the South Bay, San Jose fire rescue crews are busy pulling people out of the flood-soaked neighborhoods and are urging residents who live in low-lying areas along Coyote Creek to make their way to higher ground as the floodwaters continue to rise.

The creek has been flooding areas around the Los Lagos Golf Course and near Kelley Park since earlier this morning and San Jose fire rescue crews have had their hands full pulling stranded residents from their homes.

So far today, boat crews have pulled five people from a flooded homeless encampment near the Los Lagos Golf Course in South San Jose and are currently evacuating dozens of homes and businesses in the Nordale
neighborhood near Kelley Park, according to San Jose fire spokesman Capt. Mitch Matlow.

"Coyote Creek is rising because of water coming out of Anderson (Reservoir)," Matlow said. "We have a neighborhood that's basically underwater."

Water rescue teams are using boats and other vehicles to go door-to-door and pull residents to safety, Matlow said.

City officials have declared a local emergency and issued a call for voluntary evacuations of neighborhoods along the creek, which traverses the length of the city from Morgan Hill to the San Francisco Bay.

Residents are urged to leave their homes with only the most necessary items, including pets and medications, and head for the evacuation centers set up at the Roosevelt Community Center at 901 E. Santa Clara St.
and the Shirakawa Community Center at 2072 Lucretia Ave. The evacuation order resulted in the closure of two Santa Clara County Social Services Agency offices -- In-Home Supportive Services and CalWORKs Continuing Benefits -- on Senter Road.

Anyone who has come into contact with the murky brown water is being decontaminated because of fears about overflowing sewage lines, oil and gas from vehicles trapped in the water or household chemicals that might have leaked into the flood waters.

Evacuees are being taken to local centers or the hospital, but it's still unclear how many people have been rescued or evacuated so far, Matlow said. No significant injuries have been reported.

The crews responded to the Nordale area at about 10 a.m. just after completing the rescue operation at the Los Lagos Golf Course and as the high waters continue to flood downstream towards the Bay, more neighborhoods could be inundated.

The flooding is partly blamed on water rushing down the spillway of the Anderson Reservoir, which the latest series of storms have filled to beyond its capacity.

"It's an uncontrollable flow at this point," Matlow said. "How much water we're going to get here and how high it's going to rise, we don't know."

People are being warned to stay away from standing water, avoid downed trees and power lines and to get out of any area where water appears to be rising.

Over the past day-and-a-half, San Jose fire rescue teams have completed four boat rescue operations due to the flooding and expect to be involved in more as the day wears on.

Also, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has rerouted the 73 bus line from Senter Avenue in South San Jose and, on the other side of town, the 63 line from Berryessa Road in both directions due to the
flooding.

Meanwhile from the EAST BAY: In Fremont, Palomares Road near the community of Niles has been closed since Monday due to a major mudslide. Residents who live along the road are being allowed to enter to access their homes, however all others are being asked to avoid the area and to use alternative routes, according to the Alameda County Public Works Agency. (PHOTO HERE.)

Niles Canyon Road (SR84) remains closed today due to storm and flood debris, according to the Fremont Police Department. (DETAILS AND PHOTOS HERE.)

In Livermore, flooding has closed Tesla Road at Cross Road and also Stanley Boulevard, between Isabel Avenue and Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton, public works officials said.

Several other surface streets in north Livermore remain flooded this morning and drivers are being cautioned to avoid driving through flooded roadways, according to public works officials.

From the ACE TRAIN: Commuters in the area who opted not to drive this morning were also impacted as the Altamont Commuter Express train announced that there would be no service today due to weather related impacts.

In addition to transportation impacts, firefighters were busy Monday responding to several distress calls related to the flooding, according to the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department. Eight people were rescued from vehicles that became stuck in roadways affected by flash flooding on Monday afternoon. Two others in the area were rescued from businesses that became flooded, fire officials said.

After road closures were established in the area, an additional two more people were rescued from the roof of a car, after they allegedly attempted to drive past road closure barricades.

According to the Livermore Police Department, just six inches of water can reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing a loss of control and possibly stalling.

IN OTHER WEATHER-RELATED NEWS:

• Nearly 13K PG&E Customers Without Power in Bay Area
• Niles Canyon Road Closed Due to Storm Debris [SEE PHOTOS]
• San Jose Fire Dept. Rescues At Least 20 Homeless People From Flooded Golf Course
• PG&E Works to Shore Up Soil Around Transmission Tower
• Flash Flood Warning Issued for South Alameda County, Sunol, Alameda Creek
• Latest Flood Warnings for Santa Clara County
• Mudslide Closes Palomares Road
• ACE Train Service Canceled Today
• Weather Woes Continue to Cause Delays, Cancellations At SFO

--Bay City News contributed to this report/Images courtesy of SJFD, ACPWS