San Francisco residents load up on sandbags ahead of Wednesday storm's arrival
SAN FRANCISCO – Residents in San Francisco were still scrambling to get sandbags for flood mitigation early Wednesday evening, just as the rain from the atmospheric river storm was intensifying.
The line at the San Francisco Public Works office has been nonstop since Wednesday morning. The line of cars at times wrapped around the block as residents tried to get their hands on sandbags. Some drivers said they had been trying to get them since Tuesday.
The department said they have handed out over 11,000 sandbags so far. Each household was allowed to take five sandbags.
On Tuesday they ran out of them before 6 p.m., forcing residents like Raymond Tang to come back once they had restocked.
"I was here yesterday. And I came here at 8 a.m. In the morning and they were all out and I left," Tang said. "Then I came back around 12. It looks like they restocked, but I didn't have enough time to get the bags so I am back here today. And I was here two hours earlier."
Tang said he has even tried to find alternatives-to prevent further flooding in his home.
I went all the way up to Napa to grab like these Quick Dam bags as a replacement for sandbags thankfully they had them in stock," he said. "But a two hour drive is like crazy."
He was just one of many SF residents who have made multiple trips on their sandbag search.
Shortly after 6 p.m., SF Public Works confirmed that they had again run out of sandbags, but were expecting another delivery at some point.
Sandbag update: Our sandbag supply has run out — we gave out more than 3,400 today. We are expecting another delivery tonight but we don’t have an estimated arrival time. We will provide updates as we have them. @SF_emergency @sf311 @SFFDPIO @MySFPUC @LondonBreed
— San Francisco Public Works (@sfpublicworks) January 5, 2023
Meanwhile, in response to the stormy forecast and flood warnings in the region, San Francisco opened emergency beds for unhoused residents seeking shelter for the next week and a half.
From Tuesday through Jan. 15, the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) is collaborating with various nonprofits to provide shelter and outreach services.
Within their system, HSH has repurposed shelter beds, some used for their winter interfaith shelter system, to allow people to walk up to services on a first-come, first-served basis at four locations.
Shireen McSpadden, the executive director for HSH, said the department is trying to keep shelters accessible and flexible as more storms are forecasted in the coming weeks. There were about 170 vacant shelter beds as of Tuesday morning.
"We know that the rain is going to be with us for a while, and it's going to be worse in the next couple of days," McSpadden said at a news conference Tuesday.
Intake times at Next Door, Sanctuary and MSC South runs from 4 to 10 p.m., while St. Mary's Cathedral will begin accepting guests at 6 p.m.
Alongside Urban Alchemy and Episcopal Community Services, the city will also host an emergency pop-up shelter from noon Wednesday through 10 a.m. Friday at the County Fair Building at 1199 Ninth Ave.
There, guests can check in on a first-come, first-serve basis, 24 hours a day, and be served two meals a day. Guests are allowed to bring service animals, a partner if there is room, and are limited to two bags of belongings.
On the ground, HSH's Homeless Outreach Team is increasing wellness checks, informing unsheltered residents about open beds, and passing out beanies, blankets and ponchos to those who need them, McSpadden said.
Residents experiencing homelessness and in need of support are encouraged to contact the Homeless Outreach Team dispatch line at (628) 652-8000.