>>> FLASH FLOODS AND TORNADO WATCHES E IN EFFECT FOR MUCH
OF THE SOUTHEAST THIS MORNING, ASEVERE WEATHER IS MOVING
THROUGHOUT THE FOCUS IS REALLY SHIFTING TO CALIFORNIA, WHERE A
MONSTER STORM WILL UNLEASH LIFE-THREATENING FLOODING.
JUST LOOK AT THAT RADAR. CHAD MYERS IS TRACKING IT FOR
US. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING?
>> BOTH SIDES OF THE COUNTRY. BIG WEATHER THROUGH CAROLINAS
AND PARTS OF GEORGIA. TORNADO WATCHES ARE STILL IN
EFFECT UNTIL 2:00. WE HAD A LINE OF WEATHER ROLLING
THROUGH SAVANNAH, CHARLESTON AND THE LIKE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE
HOURS. A COUPLE TORNADO WARNINGS ON THE
GROUND, BUT THIS IS THE NEXT STORM SYSTEM WE HAVE TO WATCH
OUT FOR, COMING INTO CALIFORNIA. A WARM FRONT THIS MORNING, AND
THEN A COLD FRONT. IT WOULD BE WET, WILD AND WINDY.
THEN IF YOU GET UP IN THE MOUNTAINS, THAT'S WHERE THE
WHITE IS, THIS WILL BE DEEPER THAN A YARDSTICK.
WE'LL TAKE THE SNOW WHEN WE CAN GET IT.
90% OF CALIFORNIA IS TILL
DROUGHT, BUT WE DON'T NEED THE WINDS, UP TO 70 MILES AN HOUR
THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. ONE STORM TODAY, AND ANOTHER FOR
TOMORROW AND TOMORROW NIGHT. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR CALIFORNIA
TO SAY UNCLE FOR A WHILE. >>> STEPHANIE ELAM IS IN SAN
FRANCISCO. WHAT'S GOING ON THERE?
>> Reporter: WE'RE IN A BIT OF A LULL, WHICH WE KNEW WAS GOING TO
HAPPEN THIS MORNING AS WE ARE WATCHING THE STORM COME IN.
YOU CAN SEE THE WIND IS REALLY KICKING UP.
WE HAVE SOME WHITECAPS ALONG THIS PIER.
THE WATER WHERE HAIM STANDING IS STARTING TO COME THROUGH.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THIS WATER IS STARTING TO CUP UP AND ONTO
THE WALKWAY HERE IN THIS AREA BY THE EMBARCADERO HERE IN SAN
FRANCISCO. WHAT IS ALSO NOTEWORTHY, WHEN WE
GOT HERE, THIS WATER WAS ABOUT FOUR FEET LOWER.
IT'S RISING, AND DEFINITE WILL START FLOODING HERE.
WHAT WE KNOW IS WE'LL SEE ROADS GETTING WASHED OUT.
WE PROBABLY WILL SEE SOME MUDSLIDES NOT JUST BECAUSE OF
THIS STORM, BUT BUFF THAT NEW YEAR'S EVE STORM THE GROUNDS ARE
VERY SATURATED. SO PEOPLE
WATCH OUT FOR TREES FALLING OVER.
>> ALL OF IT ADDING TOGETHER TO MAKE AN ABSOLUTE MESS.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. >>> LET'S BRING IN SAN
FRANCISCO'S MAYOR. AS STEPHANIE WAS SAYING, YOU
WENT THROUGH A BIG STORM OVER NEW YEAR'S THAT YOU SAID THE
CITY WASN'T PREPARED FOR BECAUSE OF HOW MUCH RAIN CAME DOWN
VERSUS THE PREDICTIONS. WHAT ARE YOU PREPARING FOR NOW?
>> WELL, JUST TO BE CLEAR, SAN FRANCISCO, BECAUSE WE'RE
EARTHQUAKE TERRITORY, WE'RE PRETTY MUCH PREPARED FOR ANY
DISASTER. WE SPRING INTO ACTION AND WE DID
THAT DURING NEW YEAR'S EVE EVEN THOUGH PREDICTIONS AROUND THE
RAINFALL WERE A LOT LOWER THAN WHAT WE ANTICIPATED.
AND IN LIGHT OF WHAT WE EXPECT TODAY, ANYWHERE BETWEEN THREE
AND FOUR INCHES OF RAIN, MAYBE MORE, RECEIVE SANDBAGS AND CREWS
OUT EVERYWHERE. WE'RE DEALING WITH TRYING TO
CLEAN UP THE MESS FROM NEW YEAR'S EVE STILL, BUT AT THE
SAME TIME, CLEARING STORM DRAINS, DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN
TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY SAFE.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THERE'S GOING TO BE RAIN.
THERE'S GOING TO BE WIND. WHAT ARE YOU MOST CONCERNED
ABOUT, MAJOR. >> WELL, WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED,
OF COURSE, ABOUT THE RAIN AND FLOODING AND ALSO THE WIND,
ESPECIALLY WHEN PEOPLE ARE OUT MAYBE DRIVING.
WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE NEED FOR PEOPLE TO USE 911 FOR
LIFE-THREATENING EMERGENCIES ONLY.
AND MAKING SURE THAT THE CALL VOLUME DOESN'T FLOOD AND WE'RE
NOT DISTRACTED WITH THINGS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY WAIT LIKE
FLOODING AND NO CONCERN ABOUT LIFE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT
OUR LIFE SAFETY PERSONNEL ARE FOCUSED ON SAVING LIVES,
BECAUSE, UNFORTUNATELY, WE EXPECT FLOODS.
WE EXPECT HIGH WINDS. WE EXPECT TREES TO BE FALLING
AND ELECTRICITY TO BE LOST AND SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE
ARE USING OUR RESOURCES EFFICIENTLY.
>> CALIFORNIA OFTEN WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT AND WEATHER,
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE HISTORIC DROUGHT CONDITIONS THAT
CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN FACING. WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN FOR
THAT, MAYOR? >> WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
DROUGHT AND WILDFIRES, I MEAN, THE FACT IS, GLOBAL WARMING IS A
REAL THING AND WE NEED TO -- CLIMATE CHANGE IS A REAL THING
AND WE NEED TO MAKE THE KINDS OF INVESTMENTS NECESSARY TO PREPARE
FOR THINGS LIKE THIS AND SAN FRANCISCO, WE HAVE OVER $630
MILLION OF WORK HAPPENING AS WE SPEAK TO DEAL WITH STORM WATER
AND CHALLENGES LIKE WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN NEIGHBORHOODS
THAT HISTORICALLY, YOU KNOW, IN CONDITIONS THAT ARE NOT AS
SEVERE 'EVEN TODAY AND NEW YEAR'S EVE HAVE IMPACTED
SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND SO WE HAVE TO PEEP FOR THE FUTURE.
WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO
IMPACT OUR CITIES, ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE
CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL AND WE HAVE TO START TO PREPARE FOR IT
AND INVEST IN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> YEAH, AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING. IT'S NOT EVEN PREPARING FOR IT.
IT'S HAPPENING NOW. THERE'S VERY LITTLE PREPARATION
NEEDED ANYMORE IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WITH THE CLIMATE
CRISIS. FINALLY WHAT, IS THE MESSAGE
PEOPLE IN SAN FRANCISCO TODAY AS WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS LULL
AS STEPHANIE WAS SAYING, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE COMING.
>> WELL, WE'RE ASKING PEOPLE IF THEY CAN TO STAY AT HOME AND
WORK FROM HOME, ESPECIALLY IN THE EVENING TIME.
WE EXPECT THIS STORM TO REALLY START TO PICK UP IN THE
AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS ARE GOING TO BE VERY
CHALLENGING. WE WANT FOLKS TO BE AS SAFE AS
POSSIBLE. IF YOU SEE LARGE PUDDLES OF
WATER DON'T DRIVE INTO THEM. YOU KNOW, BACK UP AND GET OUT OF
THE WAY. WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO COME
AND SAVE FOLKS WHO ARE BASICALLY DRIVING INTO SITUATIONS THAT
THEY'RE UNFAMILIAR WITH. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE 911 IS USED
FOR LIFE AND DEATH EMERGENCIES. WE HAVE 311, PEOPLE CAN CALL 311
FOR ALL SORTS OF THINGS, WE HAVE CREWS READY TO GO AND PEOPLE
PREPARED. WE HAVE FOLKS OUT THERE.
BE SAFE AND DO THE BEST YOU CAN, SAN FRANCISCANS WILL GET THROUGH
THIS.