LATER. COMING UP, CECIL, THANK YOU. WITH RAIN MOVING INTO THE REGION, CITY CREWS ARE SAY PREPARATION NOW CAN REALLY HELP AVOID BIGGER PROBLEMS LATER. KCRA 3’S CORTEZ JOINS US LIVE IN SACRAMENTO PREPARATIONS ARE LOOKING RIGHT NOW FOR FOLKS IN NEIGHBORHOODS. CECIL WERE NO STRANGER TO TREES. WE GOT LOTS OF THEM WITH LOTS OF TREES COMES LOTS OF LEAVES IN THE CITY IS URGING RESIDENTS TO ALREADY START PREPARING FOR THIS RAIN COMING THROUGH. START GETTING THE LEAVES IN ONE AREA. START PILING THEM UP LIKE THIS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, GETTING THEM AWAY FROM THE DRAINS AS THE RAIN WILL HIT THE VALLEY. WHEN THEY SEE AN OLD GUY LIKE ME DOING THIS, THE NEIGHBORS THINK, WELL, IF HE CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT. AGE FOR US CAN SLOW SOME THINGS DOWN, BUT INCOMING RAIN? NOT SO MUCH. ABOUT TWO HOURS. I USE A LEAF BLOWER SO MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER. THE CLOCK MATTERS. SO DOES THE VOLUME. YOU CAN’T START TOO EARLY THOUGH. NEIGHBORS WON’T LIKE THAT. BUT NEIGHBORS NOTICE, ESPECIALLY WHEN RAIN IS ON THE WAY ACROSS SACRAMENTO CITY CREWS SAY BLOCKED STORM DRAINS ARE ONE OF THE FASTEST WAYS RAIN TURNS INTO FLOODING. WE HAVE A REALLY HEAVY LEAF DROP IN THE CITY OF SACRAMENTO BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHERE THE CITY OF TREES. SO WE HAVE THIS AMAZING TREE CANOPY AND WHEN WINTER HITS, THE CITY OF TREES BECOMES THE CITY OF LEAVES. AND AS SOON AS THE WATER STARTS COMING DOWN, THEY’LL BECOME REALLY HEAVY. THE PILES. IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG FOR THAT MOISTURE TO REALLY WEIGH DOWN THE LEAVES, AND IT TAKES OUR CREWS LONGER TO GET THROUGH THE STREETS. EVEN WITH CITY CREWS ON THE JOB. SOME WORK ONLY GETS DONE BY ROLLING UP THE SLEEVES. THE KEY IS TO KEEP THE LEAVES OUT OF THE GUTTER SO THAT SO THAT IT DOESN’T CLOG THE DRAINS. AND SO THAT’S WHAT I’LL BE DOING NEXT, IS PUSHING THE LEAVES AWAY FROM THE GUTTER BEST I CAN. HIS LITTLE ELBOW GREASE NOW KEEPS THE RAIN FROM TURNING THE YARD INTO A HEADACHE. LATER. AND FOR HOMES AT HIGHER RISK, SANDBAGS AVAILABLE AT SACRAMENTO COUNTY LOCATIONS, THE MORE MATERIAL YOU CAN KEEP IN YOUR CONTAINER. KEEP OFF THE STREET AND HELP OUR CREWS GET THROUGH IT FASTER. HEY, THIS KEEPS ME IN GOOD SHAPE. MARK THERE GOT GOT UP EARLY AND STARTED GETTING THOSE LEAVES OUT. BUT CITY OFFICIALS SAY THAT THEIR CLAW CREW WILL BE OPERATING DURING REGULAR HOURS TO GET THOSE LEAVES PILES OUT THE WAY. THEY’RE ALSO URGING RESIDENTS IF THEY HAVE ANY OUTDOOR FURNITURE TO BRING THAT IN CECIL, SO IT DOESN’T GET RUINED WITH THIS RAIN COMING IN THE VALLEY IN SACRAMENTO VAN NESS CORTEZ KCRA THREE NEWS. YOU GOT TO TAKE CARE OF THE FURNITURE AND ALSO TAKE CARE OF THOSE LEAVES. THANK YOU. CITY OFFICIALS SAY UTILITY CREWS WILL BE ON CALL MONITORING PROBLEM SPOTS THROUGHOUT THE STORM. AGAIN, IF YOU SEE A BLOCKED OR FLOODED DRAIN, YOU’RE ASKED TO CALL THE NUMBER 311. TELL RESIDENTS PREPARE FOR THE RAINY WEATHER. WE’RE EXPECTING THE CITY OF WEST SACRAMENTO IS GIVING OUT FREE SANDBAGS. YOU CAN PICK UP THE SAND AND FILL BAGS AT THE PORT OF WEST SACRAMENTO. THAT’S AT 2895 INDUSTRIAL BOULEVARD. THE CITY ASKS THAT YOU BRIN
Sacramento residents urged to clear storm drains ahead of rain hitting the valley
Updated: 8:36 PM PST Dec 20, 2025
Sacramento residents are being urged by city officials to clear storm drains to prevent flooding as a series of storm systems are expected to bring widespread precipitation and some winds to the region this weekend.Jesa David, spokesperson for the City of Sacramento, highlighted the potential issues caused by debris. “A lot of times, we’ll see localized flooding, you might see it on your street corner. There’s just the leaves pile up in the gutter. They get wet, waterlogged really quickly, and can be very heavy to move around.”Residents are advised to use brooms or rakes to clear leaves and debris from storm drains, fill organic bins before creating leaf piles, and follow guidelines to keep leaf piles away from gutters and storm drains. Securing outdoor furniture and decorations is also recommended.”We have utility crews on call. And they will come out if they’re told that there’s any flooding in your neighborhood,” David said. Residents can report storm-related issues, by contacting the City’s 3-1-1 customer service center. Mark Abrahams, a local resident, shared his strategy for preventing flooding. “The key is to keep the leaves out of the gutter so that, so that it doesn’t clog the drains. And so that’s what I’ll be doing next, is pushing the leaves away from the gutter, best I can,” he said.For homes at higher risk, sandbags are available at Sacramento County locations. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Sacramento residents are being urged by city officials to clear storm drains to prevent flooding as a series of storm systems are expected to bring widespread precipitation and some winds to the region this weekend.
Jesa David, spokesperson for the City of Sacramento, highlighted the potential issues caused by debris. “A lot of times, we’ll see localized flooding, you might see it on your street corner. There’s just the leaves [that] pile up in the gutter. They get wet, waterlogged really quickly, and can be very heavy to move around.”
Residents are advised to use brooms or rakes to clear leaves and debris from storm drains, fill organic bins before creating leaf piles, and follow guidelines to keep leaf piles away from gutters and storm drains. Securing outdoor furniture and decorations is also recommended.
“We have utility crews on call. And they will come out if they’re told that there’s any flooding in your neighborhood,” David said. Residents can report storm-related issues, by contacting the City’s 3-1-1 customer service center.
Mark Abrahams, a local resident, shared his strategy for preventing flooding. “The key is to keep the leaves out of the gutter so that, so that it doesn’t clog the drains. And so that’s what I’ll be doing next, is pushing the leaves away from the gutter, best I can,” he said.
For homes at higher risk, sandbags are available at Sacramento County locations.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel