County Executive’s Office

A sign of the times on Highway 92 in Half Moon Bay.

Redwood City – Since storms began to pummel San Mateo County on New Year’s Eve, the County has provided aid and resources to local residents and cities.

Here is a by-the-numbers look at some of that assistance, often in partnership with cities, nonprofit organizations and others:

Installing a generator at Pescadero High School.

236: Displaced individuals temporarily housed in hotels

2,001: Meals served to displaced residents

160: Unhoused individuals enrolled in the Inclement Weather Program, which expands shelter capacity

72: Individuals served at temporary evacuation points countywide

40: Red Cross volunteers deployed

1: Generator to power much of Pescadero High School

San Mateo County Fire Engine 59 responds in Pescadero as floodwaters rise from Pescadero Creek.

30: Generators distributed to households in Pescadero with members in need of electricity for medical issues

500 tons, or 1 million pounds: Bulk sand for sandbags (enough to pack 200,00 play pails)

21,000: Pre-made sandbags provided to local residents, used by County Department of Public Works

Filling sandbags at the County's Grant Corporation Yard in Redwood City.

35,000: Empty sandbags provided to residents

15,000: Feet of twine to tie sandbags, the length of 14 Salesforce Towers or nearly twice as long as the Golden Gate Bridge

A COW, or cellular on wheels, in the field in Pescadero.

10,000: Zip-ties to tie sandbags

1: COW, or Cellular on Wheels, a mobile cellular network, stationed in Pescadero to help boost cellular service

1,417: Calls to Public Safety Communications for fire or emergency medical services on Dec. 31, 2022, the beginning of the storm (compared to about 400 calls on a normal Saturday)*

*Call 9-1-1 only in emergencies. An emergency is any serious medical problem (chest pain, seizure, bleeding), any type of fire (business, car, building), any life-threatening situation (fights, person with weapons) or to report crimes in progress.

Throughout the storm, County emergency response teams coordinate the response from the Emergency Operations Center on the County Center campus in Redwood City. Representatives from the American Red Cross, Pacific Gas & Electric, Cal Fire, California Highway Patrol and numerous other agencies and local organizations participated in the briefings as key players in the overall response.

484: Calls to 2-1-1 for storm-related, non-emergency assistance (through noon Jan. 10, 2023); top needs were shelter and sandbags

Preparing for storm evacuees on the San Mateo County coast.

Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
mdurand@smcgov.org