South San Francisco, CA December 19, 2017 by Elizabeth Nisperos
2017 Winter is here! It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas but to those residents at Francisco Terrace who had flood experience on December 2014 and on March 2016, there’s a feeling it’s beginning to look like flooding if rain and storm arrive.
Compared to the storms and hurricanes of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Francisco Terrace flood was a “mini” disaster.
Director of Public Works Eunejune Kim speaks to Francisco Terrace neighbors during a November community meeting
Good the City of South San Francisco is helping residents to be proactive rather than reactive. Last November 21, 2017, the Director of Public Works Eunejune Kim and City Manager Mike Futrell had a community meeting with the Francisco Terrace and El Cortez residents on improvements that are currently undertaken in the area. An upgrade on the city drainage will be done in 2018 with majority of the work done by Department of Public Works with a selected contractor. The residents who attended expressed gratitude for the SSF firemen who assisted during the flooding.
Residents need to be proactive rather than being reactive. A resident said she has been babysitting her house when it rains because the drainage is right in front of the drain .
An upgrade on the city drainage will be done in 2018 with majority of the work done by DPW with a selected contractor.
I’ve heard about adopting kids, pets, trees– this is the first time I’d heard of adopting a storm drain.
A tiny poem:
If a drain can talk, what will it say?
Adopt me please if I’m along your way.
You win, drains win and it will make your day
Steps to become a volunteer: 1) Claim the drain(s), 2) Public Works provides supplies. 3) Volunteers keep the drain free of litter and debris.
Public Works Contact Info
Call (650) 877-8550
Email Web-PW@ssf.net
Login to EngageSSF or MySSF
Visit website: http//aadssf.herokuappl.com
Experiencing a disaster in December can be a blessing. My mantra is now Every day is Christmas Day/Thanksgiving Day. It doesn’t need to be December to listen to Christmas carols. You can listen carols in May, June, July. The experience makes you stronger and you become fearless in facing in any situation. For the author, facing a disaster is like having a million dollar adventure and workshop for I’d encountered lots of new people, widened knowledge on house construction, filing insurance forms, and an assurance there are good people who are willing to help.
I also encountered women who build their own homes such as Habitat for Humanity
https://www.habitat.org/volunteer/near-you/women-build/national-women-build-week
Or a family who build their own house using YouTube instructions.
I’d requested the City Manager for possible workshops so SSF women can take basic home maintaince training such as how to handle power tools with safety measures.
As a note of history with Francisco Terrace, the streets flooded heavily at the end of Francisco Drive and on El Cortez back in the 60’s and 70’s, this seemed to be yet a repeat of it again in recent times.