How prepared is California for a megastorm? Based on our performance this week, the answer is "not very."
Though the state's infrastructure remained mostly intact, the high winds and rain exposed several points of vulnerability.
The Great Highway in San Francisco was closed for the duration of the storm. Interestate 80 in the Sierra was shut down for nearly 24 hours due to white-out conditions. And Highway 1 south of Carmel will be shut down for weeks after a portion of the road sheered off and fell into the ocean.
In Los Gatos, sewers began backing up on the street.
Flooding was also a problem, with El Camino Real in Burlingame submerged and a car trapped in the rising water. In San Jose, the flooding Guadalupe Creek trapped a man who needed a rare water rescue.
And in Santa Cruz, officials activated the emergency siren to evacuate homes along the San Lorenzo River. In nearby Capitola residents and business were shocked to see a raging river of water flooding into the village.
And we're not out of the woods yet. An unpredictable cold front just passed over us, leaving unstable chilly air behind. If there's any warming, that could trigger thunderstorms or even a tornado, according to the Gate.
