After wet weather hit the Bay Area earlier this week, a new storm arrived Thursday to the region. Locals in the Santa Cruz Mountains spent the day preparing for what could be inches of rain and a host of new problems.
The storm usually hits the community of Ben Lomond in the South Bay hard.
"This is an area that gets a lot of precipitation," said Lynn Robinson, with Valley Churches United. "We get 10 inches when someone else gets two inches in this area."
The history of the area getting heavy rain is why the church stocks up on sand. The church also serves as the area where locals can pick up sandbags.
"We've always been the go-to place in the San Lorenzo Valley for people to prepare with sandbags because a lot of people have that issue around their properties," Robinson said.
At the Summit House in Los Gatos, families and bluegrass fans took refuge from the rain, enjoying food, drink and entertainment.
"We just needed a drive to get out of town and enjoy the view up here at the restaurant," resident Caroline Bice said.
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But owner Rosanne Mayclin knows the rain can bring real problems.
"When we're up here on the summit, we get real worried about it with the traffic," she said. "As far as our business here, we get a lot of people that stop in due to traffic accidents and different things. They're pretty shook up."
Mayclin said earlier Thursday, she saw seven accidents before the rain even picked up.
"The light rain seems to be worse sometimes," she said. "People don't take it as seriously on the highway, and they still drive fast."
The wet weather on Thursday forced the closure of portions of the Highway 17 so first responders could clear crashes.
"It's been busy," Cal Fire Capt. Sam Gonzales said. "We've been running busy, starting from last night when the rain started coming in."
Despite all the problems the rain can cause, some people can't get enough.
Resident Terry Gibson says the rain has been a long time coming, and he's making the most of it.
"I love it; it's great," Gibson said. "Everything smells fresh. The more, the better."
