From the highways to the city streets, slick roadways and localized flooding made for a hazardous commute on Friday.
Cars plowed through the puddles on Bullard, water developed in this alleyway in Calwa, and umbrellas were a common sight in Downtown.
Caltrans crews are now working 12-hour shifts to ensure a smooth drive on local highways.
The California Highway Patrol typically reports an increased volume in crashes during wet weather warning drivers to take precaution.
“We typically like to get more units out there on the road during the rainy season because of the calls that we do get,” says Officer Jean-Gabriel Saldana, CHP.
A large branch from a tree fell off and went into the roadway on Arther in Fresno. City crews responded quickly to get it cleaned up.
Crews loaded the tree limbs into the wood chipper to allow a safe passage for cars.
Over 25 city workers are on standby to respond specifically to downed trees.
“A combination of wet ground and higher winds can unfortunately result in trees and limbs down,” says Scott Mozier, Director City of Fresno Public Works.
City officials say storm drains still have ample capacity, but with rain in the forecast through the weekend things could change quickly.
“Really we can ramp up to over 100 employees working on storm response if the severity is high enough to warrant that,” says Mozier.
As we continue to brace for more rain this weekend, the city says it’s operation is scalable no matter what time of the day or night they will be able to bring in more crews to meet the changing need.
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