How to prepare for upcoming storms in San Francisco

With rain and stormy weather in our forecast for the foreseeable future, here’s what city agencies, including the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management, want you to know to stay safe:

Avoid driving during heavy rains and winds.

• If you have to be on the road, don't drive through flooded areas and don't drive over downed power lines.

Sweep up the trash and leaves outside of your homes when it's not raining so that they don’t clog storm drains.

• Better yet, sign up for the city's Adopt-a-Drain program and make sure your neighborhood drains are cleared all year long.

Sandbags are available to San Francisco residents and business owners.

• You can pick them up at the Public Works operations yard in the Bayview from 8am-2pm daily.

Use 911 only for life-threatening emergencies so operators are not overwhelmed.

• Call 311 (or use the 311 app) to report the effects of the storms, like flooding or downed trees.

Have flashlights or headlamps handy in case your power goes out. It's also good to have about three days' supply of water and nonperishable food on hand.

• If you do lose power, PG&E suggests unplugging or turning off your appliances to avoid overloading circuits when power returns.
• You can also use this map to check on the status of your power and sign up for notifications about outages in your area.

If flooding becomes a threat near you, the NWS suggests having a "go bag" to evacuate quickly, with insurance information on hand and necessary medications.