If you’re in one of the low-lying parts of Sausalito (and your home doesn’t float) we wanted to pass along an alert we received from the County.
This particular storm is not a big one but will generate moderate levels of rain at its height. It’s taking place on the same two days, November 24-25, when we will be getting King Tides this fall, especially high tides that break the normal patterns. This combination often creates significant flooding along the Sausalito waterfront, especially along Liberty Ship Way, Marinship Way, Gate 5 Road (shown in the photo above after a storm a few years ago), Gate 6 and Gate 6 1/2 Road, and in the Manzanita Park and Ride just across the Mill Valley border. The bike and walking trail between Sausalito and Mill Valley is also flooded.
Update: Despite all the warnings we saw a high-end BMW parked on Gate 5 Road near Harbor St. in Sausalito late Wednesday morning where it looked like the water reached into the engine compartment. Please be careful out there!
Parked cars have been totaled at Gate 6 1/2 road and Manzanita when water went as high as their hoods. Local officials often post signs in hazardous areas (and the Manzanita Lot is usually cordoned off for King Tides) but they can’t cover everywhere.
Insiders Tip: Driving through fresh water puddles that are not too deep does not hurt your car. But driving through the same depth of salt water puddle during or after a high tide gets salt and other nasties into the underside of your car, which can in particular attack your electronics system as well as triggering rust. I knew one woman whose BMW took over $3,000 to repair from the effects of one such encounter. Be careful out there!
In the Google Map below we used the Directions feature to show some of the areas most vulnerable to flooding, but there are other vulnerable places in town as well.
