San Francisco Coast News

Recent storms that crossed the San Francisco Bay Area earlier this week left multiple vessels, docks, and barges adrift, causing navigational safety issues around the areaThree 60-foot deck barges were adrift, causing an allision with the 3rd Street Bridge at McCovey Cove leading to Mission Creek. U.S. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco's Prevention Department was made aware of the situation and broadcasted a Notice to Mariners, noting that the area was closed to navigation. A finalized assessment of the bridge is pending the completion of an inspection by engineers.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and local agencies are responding to a plane crash near San Pablo Bay after two planes collided in mid-air above the Bay Sunday. At approximately 4 p.m., the Sector San Francisco Coast Guard command center received a call about a small Cessna and a WWII-era aircraft that had collided. The Coast Guard launched four rescue boat crews and one rescue helicopter crew and established a temporary safety zone in the water while the Federal Aviation Administration has established a temporary flight-restriction zone in the area. Debris has been located in the water, but there are no signs of the downed pilot at this time. The incident is under investigation. The USCG asked Mariners in the area to contact their nearest Coast Guard station if they find any debris in the water.

The same NOAA weather and climate satellites that accurately tracked Hurricane Sandy’s path in October also played a key role in rescuing 263 people in 111 emergencies in the United States and surrounding waters in 2012. Since NOAA’s seven operational satellites circle the globe or sit above the United States, they also carry instruments to detect distress signals from emergency beacons carried by downed pilots, shipwrecked boaters and stranded hikers. In addition to their role in weather prediction…