After a fairly quiet weekend, another storm picked up on the Midpeninsula on Sunday night, bringing lots of rain and wind with gusts of up to 60 miles per hour.

The National Weather Service put out a flood warning and a high wind advisory throughout the Bay Area through Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 10. Officials were watching the San Francisquito Creek closely, as it reached the brink of flooding on Monday morning, Jan. 9.

Local cities began to declare states of emergencies last week amid the historic storms, allowing them to spend public funds to respond to the emergency and to pay for repairs of damaged or destroyed public facilities such as water, sewer, storm water, streets and other facilities without having to use the typical public bid process.

In response to the recent winter storms, President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in California on Monday which enables counties, including San Mateo County, to receive federal disaster assistance.

"Specifically, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency," according to a White House news release.

Power outages, road closures

As with the previous week's historic storms, fallen trees and flooding again plagued the area, but fewer were without power than during the Jan. 4, storm. At 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 9, 4,771 customers on the Peninsula were without power, according to PG&E. On Jan. 4, some 41,189 Peninsula customers were without power that evening.

Atherton Avenue from Alameda de las Pulgas to Ridgeview Drive in Atherton was closed due to a downed tree and power lines as of 8 a.m., according to a tweet from the town. About 100 customers in the West of the Alameda neighborhood of Atherton were without power Monday morning morning.

About 85 households and businesses in the western part of Woodside (near Highways 84 and 35) were also without power Monday morning and are also expected not to see the lights go back on until 11 p.m., according to PG&E. The area surrounding Huddart County Park is also in the dark.

In Portola Valley, a tree fell in the morning, blocking Westridge Road between Possum Lane and Portola Road before crews moved it out of the way. Flooding was also reported in town.

Schools back in session

After closing Thursday, Jan. 4, because of high winds and wet conditions in the Portola Valley and Woodside school districts, students were back in classrooms by Friday, Jan. 5, and their schools remained open on Monday, Jan. 9.

Students in the Menlo Park City, Ravenswood City and Sequoia Union High School District returned from winter break on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Las Lomitas Elementary School District students returned Monday, Jan. 9, to a campus damaged by flooding from the nearby creek. Menlo-Atherton High School experienced some flooding over break, but there was no interior damage to facilities, said Principal Karl Losekoot in an email.

Several private schools in the area also shut down last week to move to remote learning but are back in session. Menlo School in Atherton, for example, held classes online Jan. 3 and 4 in anticipation of the storm.