Reuters reports that heavy rains on Saturday caused mudslides at several locations in California. In Rio Nido, 50 miles north of San Francisco, slides several homes and forcing the evacuation of 300 more. In San Mateo, 17 other houses were threatened. Almost 90,000 people lost power during the storm with wind gusts to 125 mph. Bridges had to be closed to trucks and other-wind vulnerable vehicles. Flooding closed several highways and officials began building emergency levees around several towns.
Light rains are expected Sunday with heavy snow in the mountains as the storm moved inland, but the next storm is due Tuesday or Wednesday. Damage to date is estimated at four dead, 1,000 homes destroyed r damaged and 3,500 people evacuated.
C. W. Gilbert reported from near Half Moon Bay: "Power was off tonight for about 5 hours from here to Cupertino, quite a stretch. Devils Slide (Highway 1) closed now heading north (from CBS radio); Highway 1 at Devils Slid closed permanently, also closed heading south at Pescadero (toward Santa Cruz), 13 mi. to the s. of here; and the road to Redwood City through LaHonda permanently closed (these from a friend whose husband picked it up on police radio); the only open road out of here, Highway 92 to San Mateo, has a sinkhole, and only one lane is open (CBS radio).--C. W. Gilbert <blazing@igc.apc.org>