The city of Benicia declared a local emergency Tuesday in response to this week’s storm and activated its Emergency Operations Center.

Northern California had been experiencing intense rainfall and flooding since Saturday. On Monday, the rain tapered off for a bit but returned in full force Tuesday. Benicia’s Public Works department had been working to lower the lake levels in preparation for the storm. However, the 2.23 inches of rain that pelted Solano County led to runoff that resulted in water levels beyond maintenance. Lake Herman overflowed, leading to flooding in the Industrial Park. The following 11 roads and intersections were closed Tuesday: Lake Herman Road, Reservoir Road, East 2nd at Reservoir Road, Channel Road, Park Road– from Bayshore to Industrial, Oregon at Industrial, East 2nd and Industrial to Park and Industrial, Bayshore Road between Oak Road and the Northbound I-680 offramp, Industrial east of Channel Road, East B Street and the 500 block of East G and H streets.

Additionally, some commercial businesses in the Industrial Park had to be evacuated, branches and debris fell on the roads, and storm drain systems became overwhelmed.
According to city staff, members of the Public Works, Police and Fire departments were on hand to assess the issues.

The rain had cleared up Wednesday with mostly sunny skies by press time. Rain is predicted for today but mostly in the morning hours with precipitation expected to decrease by the afternoon. Residents are encouraged to stay indoors and avoid flooded areas.

Updates can be found at Facebook.com/CityBenicia, on Twitter under the handle @CityOfBenicia and hashtag #BeniciaStorm, and at Nextdoor. Residents and employees are also encouraged to sign up for AlertBenicia at AlertBenicia.org to receive updates on potential emergencies.

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