The latest atmospheric flow to hit the Bay Area has killed five people in separate incidents.
Around 3:40 p.m. Tuesday, the San Francisco Police Department responded to a report of a fallen tree on the 1000 block of Post Street. Officers found two people injured, one critical and the other not critical.
Both were transported to the hospital.
Then, around 4 p.m., officers were dispatched to another report of a fallen branch hitting a person on 23rd Avenue. The person was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.
According to city officials, two people died in those incidents.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed urged residents to check on their friends and families and stay safe in response to the two lives lost.
“We tragically lost two lives in yesterday’s dangerous storm that hit San Francisco. These repeated storms have been very challenging and created severe conditions that our city crews are working to assess,” Mayor Breed said in a tweet. “Thank you to all of our public workers who cleaned up damage as quickly as possible and kept local residents safe.”
We tragically lost two lives in yesterday’s dangerous storm that hit San Francisco. These repeated storms have been very challenging and created severe conditions that our city crews are working to assess. https://t.co/v01kfh0W5w
— London Breed (@LondonBreed) March 22, 2023
Elsewhere in the Bay Area, one person was killed in Walnut Creek Tuesday when a tree fell on their car. The car was traveling on Stanley Dollar Drive in the Rossmoor neighborhood when a tree fell on it.
Con Fire said the driver of the car was slightly injured but the passenger was killed.
A driver was also killed in Portola Valley when a large eucalyptus tree fell on his vehicle. The car was traveling eastbound on Alpine Road west of I-280 when the falling tree crashed into the plumber.
The victim has been identified as Jesus Cruz Diaz, 29, of San Jose.
The fifth person was killed in Lake Merrit when a large tree fell on a tent.
According to the Oakland Police Department, officers entered the area around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday and found an unconscious man in the tent.
The emergency services said they had to cut down the tree and remove the man from the tent. He was pronounced dead at 5:58 p.m
Officials said the exact cause of death is unknown, but it is believed he died from blunt force or asphyxiation. The only significant visible trauma appeared to be in the upper body.
California Highway Patrol officials said incidents like these are why law enforcement is urging people to stay off roads during severe storms.
The identities of the victims were not released.
