UPDATE: The City of San Jose and American Red Cross have set up a 24-hour emergency evacuation center at Seven Trees Community Center. The center at 3590 Cas Drive opened 10 a.m. Wednesday and will stay open until Monday, Jan. 16. For more information, call 408-539-2105.
As the Bay Area faces multiple winter storms, the city of San Jose said that residents should be ready to evacuate if necessary by packing a bag with important documents, medicine and spare clothes.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
Homeowners can protect their property with sandbags and raise their ground floor furniture if flooding occurs in their home.
When driving, people should turn their car around if they encounter water on the road that looks to be deeper than 6 inches.
Driving at night calls for extra caution because it is harder to recognize flood danger. Anyone who is in danger of flooding should get to higher ground immediately and should go to the highest level of the building or an escape route if they are inside.
Streams, rivers and other areas that are subject to flooding should be avoided.
Residents should also plan ahead for possible storm-related power outages by having batteries and other alternative power sources to meet their needs if the power goes out and to have flashlights for every member of the family, according to the city.
According to ready.gov, refrigerators will keep food cold for about four hours and a full freezer will keep temperature for about 48 hours without power, so residents should keep those appliances closed and have some non-perishable food and water in the event of a power outage.
While generators can be helpful when the power goes out, they should only be used outdoors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. They should also kept dry and protected from rain or flooding and more than 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages.
Santa Clara County residents can opt in to the county's emergency alert system by signing up here to get emergency warnings sent directly to their cellphone, email or landline.
San Jose residents can report blocked drains and other storm-related issues to the city by calling (408) 794-1900.
