""We were on that high for the big game, but then we were brought down," Bentley said. "I immediately jumped in the car.""
"A king tide, already the highest of the year, rose higher than normal as it encountered soils saturated from earlier storms. So when Saturday's minor winter storm created a stronger-than-expected tidal surge, water overtopped levees, flooded city streets and surrounded hundreds of homes and businesses, like Bentley's."
"Climate scientists have long warned that when storms ride on top of high tides, bayside Marin County will flood and cause chaos, especially in low-lying areas like San Rafael. Flooding experts predict that the changing climate will turn today's king tides into the everyday tides of the future. They want Marin County to learn from the recent disaster and to install better pumps, engineer new seawalls and even pilot out-of-the-box ideas like floating homes."
Flooding in San Rafael occurred when a king tide, already the year's highest, rose further over soils saturated by earlier storms, and a minor winter storm produced a stronger-than-expected tidal surge. Water overtopped levees, flooded streets, blocked Highway 101 and surrounded hundreds of homes and businesses. Taylor's House of Karate experienced brackish water intrusion that ruined mats and soaked carpets. Local residents and officials were caught by surprise despite prior warnings that storms atop high tides would flood bayside Marin County. Flooding experts call for improved pumps, engineered seawalls and innovative adaptations like floating homes to protect low-lying areas.
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