For many, the holiday season means spending quality time with loved ones.
“Being together with family, people coming from out of town, enjoying meals together, reminiscing, creating memories, and being with the children and the kids and the family and the grandparents and everyone,” said Phillip Reid, San Luis Obispo resident.
So if you’re planning to hit the road and visit loved ones, San Luis Obispo County Transportation Manager Jeff Lee shared some tips.
“Be aware of your surroundings. If the road is flooded, seek an alternate route," Lee said. "Slow down, the wind is heavy, the roads are being impacted by the rains and by the weather."
Before the storm hit, Lee said that the Public Works Department did a few things to prepare.
“We’ve been doing a lot of culvert cleanings," Lee said. "So a lot of culverts are clean and will be able to pass the storm water. We’ve done a series of micro-surfacing and pavement management overlay this year, and so our roads are in really good shape."
The holiday storm made its way into San Luis Obispo County overnight on Wednesday, flooding some highway off-ramps that have since been cleared.
“The marsh off-ramp was impacted and I think the Santa Rosa off-ramp was impacted for a short period of time this morning," said Scotty Jalbert, San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services Director.
But luckily, Jalbert said the issues they’ve been seeing are pretty typical.
“Normal activity that we would see with this type of storm: vehicle accidents, people driving too fast, hydroplaning, some minor flooding in some of the roadways that the roads department or Caltrans took care of, but outside of that it’s been fairly quiet,” he said.
Jalbert said it’s important for people to know when to dial 9-1-1.
“Someone’s house is getting flooded, or there’s a life threat, or it’s causing a significant traffic hazard, then go ahead and dial 9-1-1; otherwise, not. It’s just rain and eventually the water will move," Jalbert said.
Lee added that it is important for people to check for any road closures online before heading out the door, and encouraged people to contact them if there are any roads that need assistance at (805) 781-5252 or by emailing pwd@co.slo.ca.us.
