East Bay experiences power outages, flooded streets due to storm
From downed trees to power outages to flooded streets, Friday's storm caused big problems for many East Bay residents.
In Berkeley, the lowest stretch of Ashby Avenue, near Seventh Street, turned into a small lake in the afternoon. Some drivers tried their luck and drove it through the flood waters.
But at least five cars stalled out.
A city worker responding to the flooding estimated the deepest part of the makeshift lake to be around 4 feet.
"Already two cars stuck. Nah, we're good," said Julian Johnson, who saw two cars stalled out in front of him on Ashby Avenue.
Johnson was driving Alexis Pearson to work.
"We do not want to go through that. I don't want my engine to die at all," said Pearson. "I hate the rain, with a passion. This is one of the reasons why I hate the rain."
There was also flooding on city streets and freeways across the East Bay. A portion of Westbound I-580 near Downtown Oakland experienced flooding on Friday afternoon with the two left lanes covered in inches of water.
The slick roads also caused many accidents due to low visibility.
The CHP was asking the public to stay home if possible.
"When it's wet, it takes a longer time to stop. Make sure to maintain safe speeds, slow down in the rain, stay off of your phone," said Officer Michael Aquino from the Dublin CHP Division.
Gusty winds also knocked down trees and power lines. In the Oakland Hills, on Sequoyah Road, PG&E workers said a downed power line knocked out electricity to about 1,000 customers on Friday afternoon.
One caregiver said she could not cook lunch for her patient since the electric stove was useless without power.
"The power is affecting us a lot because I'm a caregiver. My client is hungry, she's 90 years old. She's not able to eat." said the woman who declined to provide her name. "This is a big inconvenience for her because she has dementia."