Heavy Rain Floods Bay Area Roads and Damages San Francisco Home

Flooding disrupted travel across the Bay Area on Friday, with particularly hazardous conditions in Marin County and along Interstate 280 near Westborough Boulevard in South San Francisco. Some residents placed sandbags around homes and businesses ahead of further storms.

At the I-280 offramp, water reached about two feet at the roadway’s lowest point. A driver became stranded in a ditch, and a BMW developed engine trouble after water entered it. Its driver, Johny Godoy, said he had ignored his girlfriend’s warning about driving through the water; she was pregnant and in the car.

East Bay resident Andy Wang used a rake to clear trash and a bumper from a blocked storm drain. Authorities were receiving a steady stream of calls. After Wang cleared the drain, the water began flowing into it. He said he wanted to help despite encountering angry drivers.

On southbound I-280, the fast lane was also underwater. The California Highway Patrol said several vehicles hydroplaned, with some hitting the center divider and others colliding after drivers lost control.

In San Francisco’s Excelsior District, rainwater seeped through a roof and caused plaster to fall from a living-room ceiling onto an elderly homeowner’s shoulder. He was not seriously injured. Crews worked to patch the roof, while repairs to the roof and ceiling could cost thousands of dollars. Authorities urged motorists to avoid flooded roads and turn around rather than drive through standing water.