BAY AREA • HOUSEHOLD FIELD GUIDE

Storm ready,
Palo Alto.

San Francisquito Creek & multiple watersheds. Local steps and official sources for the place you call home.

Sources reviewed October 24, 2026 · Preparation guide

Making a decision today?

Check current forecasts, warnings and local instructions. This guide does not display live alerts or verify road access, shelters or supply stock.

NWS Bay Area forecasts & alerts

01 / KNOW YOUR EXPOSURE

San Francisquito Creek & multiple watersheds

San Francisquito Creek runs along the northern boundary; Matadero, Adobe and Barron creeks and the Bay create other exposures. Check the creek and jurisdiction relevant to your address. Palo Alto uses Santa Clara County alerts.

Read the map correctly

Use city floodplain guidance and FEMA regulatory maps. A 1998 inundation map is historical, not today’s evacuation or insurance map.

Official local map guidance FEMA effective flood-map address lookup

Maps cannot rule out flooding outside a mapped zone. No individual parcel has been assessed for this guide.

02 / BEFORE THE RAIN

Your household checklist

Check items for this visit, then use your browser’s print command for a paper copy.

Identify your watershed and save the city creek-monitoring resources.
Prepare lights and charged devices for a utility outage.
Check the operator and season for your intended sandbag station before leaving.
Prepare drinking water, food, medications, lights, charged devices and important documents.
Agree on a meeting place and help for children, older adults, pets and access needs.
Safely clear private gutters and drains before storms. Stay out of channels; report public blockages.

Palo Alto official preparation guidance

03 / PROTECT LOW ENTRANCES

Sandbags: check before you go

Schedules vary by operator. City guidance describes November–March stations at Airport, Mitchell Park and Rinconada Park; Valley Water publishes November 1–April 15, weather-dependent, for its sites including the Air Terminal. Confirm the exact station’s current instructions; bring a shovel and plan loading help.

Confirm current activation, eligibility, stock and hours before travel. Sandbags can help redirect shallow runoff; they do not make a building floodproof or replace evacuation.

Official sandbag program & locations

04 / STAY CONNECTED

Alerts & local reporting

Use the city storm-preparedness gateway for service contacts; 911 for life-threatening emergencies.

Official city storm contactsCall 911 for immediate danger to life.

When a storm arrives

Follow official evacuation instructions. Stay out of floodwater, never drive around barricades, and avoid downed wires. Do not enter unsafe drainage channels or attempt storm-time roof or gutter work. Check actual closures before traveling.

A local question

Do all Palo Alto sandbag stations follow one schedule?

No. City and Valley Water operations differ. Follow the dedicated operator’s current instructions rather than a nearby city’s rules.