Door-to-door evacuations wrapped up in Santa Cruz County earlier Tuesday ahead of heavy rains and high winds overnight into early Wednesday.
An estimated 260 residents have told emergency officials they plan to ride out the storm at home. The National Weather Service has warned the storm could bring flash floods and heavy winds, with the brunt of the storm expected in areas where the ground was already disturbed by recent wildfires.
Several evacuations orders have been issued for parts of Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties. View the latest evacuations zones here.
"It could delay our response for fire and EMS, as well as our law enforcement," said Chris Clark, chief deputy at Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department.
The number could be higher than that if people changed their minds or simply didn’t follow through with leaving.
That could be dangerous during the peak of the storm.
We were at the Ace Hardware location in Ben Lomond, where we met Collin Manley of Boulder Creek. He - along hundreds of others - has already evacuated, but has talked to many at the hardware store who tell him they are not leaving.
"A generator will help, but make sure you have food and all that," he said. "If you get trapped, then you’re on your own until the fire department or somebody can come get you."
He should know.
The CZU Lightning Complex came to within eight feet of his front door.
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