100% beef and hearty chili. try my $5.99 chili cheeseburger combo. it's pretty delicious. there's a lot of that going on today. the ferocious winds overnight either took trees down or made them unsafe to stay. one tree trimmer says he has never been busier. also ahead fire in solano county. the smoke from this one has been a real problem. and the high winds and extreme fire danger are very real. tens of thousands of people are without power while some are starting to get the all-clear. we begin with those strong winds that battered the bay area.

trees fell left and right. >> it sounded like a category 4 or 5 hurricane. it was that loud. >> the winds shook the trees loose littering the streets and roads and prompting a big cleanup. >> i was shocked at the mess this morning. branches was everywhere. >> so were power lines. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm ama dates. >> and i'm dan lashly. the peak gusts reached over 80 miles an hour in st. helena and 50 at the oakland airport. sandhya, you told us this was coming, and boy, did it. >> yeah, they were ferocious no doubt about it. let me show you the wind advisory still in effect for salono county. gusts up to 40 not out of the question until 8:00 p.m. tonight. still the possibility of downed tree and a few power lines going down. look at the gusts right now to 25 in fairfield. we're going to get a second round of winds coming in later tonight going into tomorrow morning. right now over the higher

elevations gusts to 30 at mt. st. helena. we did so these wind gusts close to 90 miles an hour over the higher terrain. look at the humidity it is bone dry. 5% in fairfield, livermore. that's why the red flag warning remains up. it's the gusty winds, dry conditions keeping that red flag warning going for the hills until 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. extreme fire behavior is possible, so definitely we'll be back with some hour by hour wind forecasts coming up. pg&e says it has begun restoring power in some areas where it's safe to do so. here are the latest numbers showing where customers are affected including 32,000 customers in alameda and contra costa county combined. laura? >> reporter: hi, dan. about 15,000 of those customers are here in contra costa county.

the vast majority, nearly 14,000 here in what's known as the moraga area. and i got off with pg&e to try to clarify information. a lot of folks got an alert the outage would extend into tomorrow with that red flag warning. at the same time we're hearing about an all clear in some parts of contra costa county. bottom line, though, are people in this area should be prepared to have the lights off, the power off probably into tomorrow. >> strong magnet on the bottom and a clip so you can go like this. >> reporter: for those who live and work in the three communities that make up la murinda it's all about making the best of a difficult and increasingly familiar situation. at maraga's ace hardware that means being better prepared to serve their customers this time. >> after last year's ones we restocked on generators, cords

for generators, oil for generators, gas cans and held much more stock than we would have normally in years past. >> reporter: from downtown orinda the lafayette maraga it seems the vast majority of residences and businesses are without pg&e's power but not necessarily powerless. dry cleaner chong kim managed to keep his business open rather than closing up shop like so many of his neighbors. >> we have wifi. >> reporter: for those without generators pg&e has setup two community resource centers with electricity and beefed up cell service to help residents get at least something done as they pass the time. indeed here it's one giant waiting game. first for the dangerous winds to die down and then for pg&e's widely scattered crews to restore power. >> i think lots of people are digging in and finding out how

strong they can be in their core when they need to be, and they're helping everybody else out which is the best part. >> reporter: and we're back live here. this is a customer resource center that pg&e setup here in the la marinda area, one of two. there's another in lafayette, in large part because most of the outages here are customers in this immediate area. and again, it's a little bit confusing. pg&e on one hand says there's an all clear in parts of contra costa county. but remember it can take up to 12 daylight hours before their crews can get out, inspect the lines and then begin restoring power. if you do the math that means a lot of these folks are going to be without power probably until some time tomorrow. best advice put in your address on the website. >> that's a good way to go to

check it out. abc 7 reporter wade freeman continues our team coverage in sonoma county where tens of thousands of pg&e customers remain without power. wayne? >> 23,000 as of this morning almost 24,000. we're in subastapool where power did not go out today. in some portions of the power is beginning to come back on. what we did find interesting today is how people are responding to all of this. >> i think it's a part of climate change, and it's going to happen more and more as time goes on. >> reporter: lily bennett was busy today working at the big bottom market in guerneville where a large generator kept them up and running even as the rest of this two stoplight town went figuratively dark. >> we've had floods, everything thrown at us. i don't know whatever the lord wants to throw at us, but he expects us to handle it.

>> reporter: in oh, so many ways. adcardinal newman high school in santa rosa students have been awake for months remote learning. out of 600 students only 24 could not connect this day. >> e-mailed the night before when they anticipate it's going to be missing and then you can give them their homework in the e-mail. and/or what they do they hooked up in terms of a pod with their classmates. so they'll go to their friend's house and then they'll be using their friends internet. >> reporter: psps, no big deal especially at a school where half the campus burned during the tubbs fire of 2020. in short people around here are getting used to these events. they don't like them, but the alternative worse. >> it could be this whole place is on fire, so i'm okay with it. >> reporter: so it has come to that. the question now is who gets their power turned on next. we asked pg&e about that. there is a method to this. once the winds die down they

prioritize the areas that need the power the most. that would be high population areas and areas with hospitals. so if you live near a hospital or a place with high population your power might come on a little sooner but you could be as they say 12 hours. wide freeman, abc 7 news. >> okay, wayne, thanks very much. and the gusty winds downed a lot of trees of course. luz penna found out east bay tree trimmers have been working literally nonstop responding to a huge increase in emergency calls. >> reporter: after their frightening 3:00 a.m. experience this is the sound of relief. >> it's just swinging like this like a palm tree in the wind. >> when i got up i heard cracking, loud cracking and then boom. >> reporter: david and sandra don't know each other but mother nature chose them and their trees to show-off its power. >> about 45 to 50 mile an hour

winds so maybe more to do this. this was i'm going to say a 50 foot palm tree. >> reporter: they awoke to their 60 foot tall tree uprooted and leaning over. >> saw the roots coming out of the ground and turned out i was right to be paranoid. >> reporter: this expert believes this tree was about an hour from falling onto the adjacent apartment complex. this is one of multiple emergency calls they responded to before 9:00 a.m. >> due to the winds last night power outage and people really afraid. i'm getting a call right now as we speak so it's probably in the office. somebody in line waiting for us to help them. >> reporter: the map shows an up tic in three times the number of calls than anticipated. >> from livermore down to concord down to berkeley down to richmond. so danville we have three calls waiting. >> reporter: this mezzage to anyone with trees -- >> please have your trees

inspected. >> reporter: before it's too late. >> there's another emergency in oakland. i've got to head over there now. >> reporter: in oakland luz pena, abc 7 news. new details crews made significant progress on the fire in fairfield. they say at this point the grass fire is nearly contained. flames sent off a lot of smoke that headed into contra costa county with reports of smoky conditions in walnut creek. the fire started near highway 12 east of susoon city, closed down a stretch of the highway for a time. firefighters say they expect to have full containment any minute now. and happening right now the u.s. senate vote is in. lawmakers just moments ago confirmed judge amy coney barrett to the supreme court. let's take a live look from washington, d.c. as expected the vote 52-48 fell mostly along party lines with the republican majority pushing barrett's nomination through. only one republican, susan collins of maine voted with

democrats who steadfastly held the vote shouldn't take place so close to a presidential election. justice clarence thomas is expected to swear in barrett at an outdoor ceremony at the white house. now it's reaching nearly a million women across the country. that story is next. plus. >> this is an opportunity to bring back a piece of the lost landscape that was san francisco. >> restoring wildlife and nudging the traffic and air pollution will be even worse after the pandemic. that's why we support measure rr to keep caltrain running.

which is at risk of shutdown because of the crisis. to keep millions of cars off our roads, to reduce air pollution and fight climate change. and measure rr helps essential workers like me get to work and keep our communities healthy. relieve traffic. reduce pollution. rescue caltrain. [all] yes on measure rr. the unfair money bail system. he, accused of rape. while he, accused of stealing $5. the stanford rapist could afford bail; got out the same day.

the senior citizen could not; forced to wait in jail nearly a year. voting yes on prop 25 ends this failed system, replacing it with one based on public safety. because the size of your wallet shouldn't determine whether or not you're in jail. vote yes on prop 25 to end money bail. women of color make up 1 out of 4 voters in swing states so their votes are more crucial than ever to the upcoming election. abc 7 news anchor dion lim shows us an effort that started right here in the bay area reaching a

million women across the country. >> reporter: in groups like this across the country women of color are gathering with a purpose. to empower other women of color to get excited and engaged about the upcoming election via text. >> our target was a million women of color across seven battleground states. we've already exceeded 900,000. >> let's do it! >> reporter: in the first ever national coordinated effort targeting low propensity female voters bay area based she the people partnered with democracy for america for text banking events in seven battleground states where turnout in the last election for this demographic was low. >> in a state like arizona 341,000 women of color were eligible and 91,000 cast a vote. >> reporter: the message that women of color have the power to make change for issues that matter to them such as the coronavirus pandemic which disproportionately affects the latino community. or the surge in discrimination

towards asian-americans. >> i have two children and because of my own experiences of people in the latino community and coming from a more conservative traditional background i didn't have access to education about reproductive health. >> reporter: the momentum around this group is gaining strength increasing from the 2014 to 2018 elections. she the people hopes the momentum continues and pays off this november. >> in this era or this time when everyone feels like they don't have a lot of power and feel sad about stuff, this is something concrete and positive. women of color reaching women of color that we can do. it's making a big difference. >> reporter: in san francisco, dion lim, abc 7 news. >> and that text out the vote campaign is targeting georgia and florida this week. to learn more about she and the people and other voting efforts across the country join us for night line right after jimmy kimmel at 12:30. if you're like most people you're trying to decide which

traditional holiday activities are covid safe. here to show you a new tool to help you navigate the holidays. >> this week here on abc 7 we're looking at the new way to holiday as we cope with the effects of the pandemic and the seasonal celebrations. bexar all looking for ways to get back to some sense of normalcy and the temptation to break our our months of self-isolation has us looking for opportunities to visit friends and family. but is it safe? we have a risk calculator that will help you assess the holiday activities. we've asked our team of medical experts to weigh in on many common holiday activities. and from religious services to holiday shopping, flying home to hosting dinner, we presented each of them with scenarios you might face, and we asked them to take a guess on the level of risk. we'll tell you the consensus of our medical experts, and you can click on the video to hear why they think so. >> this is high risk activity. i don't know how many family

members you have coming over. it also sounds like there's a lot of trust being placed your family. >> the holiday risk calculator is live right now on abc7news.com and the abc 7 news app. >> and abc 7 will have more stories like this one focused on the new way to holiday. today we're focused on your health as it relates to the holidays. the rest of the week we'll look at how the holidays are affecting all of our building a better bay area content areas including the economy, education, the changing workplace and racial and social justice. well, stay here with us. depending on where you live a red flag warning is still in ef who's supporting prop 15? governor gavin newsom. the governor says prop 15 is, "fair, phased-in, and long overdue reform", that "will exempt small businesses and residential property owners." join governor newsom. vote yes on 15.

who's supkamala harris.5? harris says, "a corporate tax loophole has allowed billions to be drained from our public schools and local communities. no more. i'm proud to support prop 15." vote yes. schools and communities first is responsible for the content of this ad. now back to our red flag warning. abc 7 news meteorologist sandhya patel is here, and sandhya, the winds were howling in some parts last night. >> they sure were, ama and dan. let me show show you how strong

those winds were. mt. diablo, 75 miles an hour. even at the lower elevations like oakland airport, 58. concord, 40 miles an hour. the red flag warning remains up through 5:00 p.m. tomorrow through the north and east bay hills because of gusty winds and low humidity. this is like desert dry. single digit humidity for some areas so extreme fire danger and certainly possible. take a look at the fire danger index in the north bay tomorrow at 6:00. you'll notice high to very high extreme fire danger. even in the east bay hills as we head into 3:00 a.m. tomorrow as that next burst of winds develops although they won't be as strong as what we experienced in the last 24 hours, the fire danger will be subsiding as we head towards 6:00 tomorrow night. hour by hour the wind as you'll notice 2:00 a.m., 27 mile an hour winds. those gusty winds with us tomorrow morning. calestoga area 9:00 a.m., and

then the winds begin to ease and the fire danger will come down, but not until after 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. it's still so dry you really can't let your guard down around this time of year. a live look from our exploratori exploratorium camera as we take a look at san francisco. chilly in the wind sheltered locations in the morning and mild winds expected the rest of the week even though the mornings will be cold. live doppler 7 showing you clear skies across the bay area. a live look from our sutro tower camera. currently 79 in oakland, 73 in san jose, a warmer day indeed. from our mt. tam camera a little hazy out there. temperatures upper 70s. 75 right now in concord, and 72 in livermore. temperatures will fall where the wind is not an issue tomorrow morning, and some of our milder spots like richmond and oakland will be the lower 50s. tomorrow afternoon breezy in our hills, not as windy as it has

been tomorrow afternoon. we're looking at 74 in the city, 76 palo alto, fremont. low 80s fairfield, and 78 degrees in san jose and a nice sunny day. the accuweather seven day forecast cooler morning, windy in the hills, fire danger remains elevated for your tuesday. cold mornings expected wednesday with the autumn chill thursday, then the fog returns and the dry skin you may be experiencing right now, well, at least the humidity will come up on friday as the fog rolls in. halloween's looking nice, and don't forget fall back sunday, daylight-saving time ends. dan and ama? >> it's coming up. thanks, sandhya. >> can't believe it here already. still ahead,

but i can't say i expected this. because it was easy. to fight these fires, we need funding - plain and simple. for this crisis, and for the next one. prop 15 closes tax loopholes so rich corporations pay their fair share of taxes. so firefighters like me, have what we need to do the job, and to do it right. the big corporations want to keep their tax loopholes. it's what they do. well, i do what i do. if you'ld like to help, join me and vote yes on prop 15.

as we all fight the coronavirus pandemic california is mandating face masks to stop the spread. that's why abc 7 wants to remind you to wear a mask. for you, your loved ones and your community. please wear because you care. coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, just a week away from the election and early voters have already set records here in california. tonight a look at who's been

casting their ballots already. plus is california ready to accommodate a surge in coronavirus testing of people planning holiday travel? a national consumer advocacy group says we're far behind where we need to be. and if you can't be there in person will your gift make it in time? 7 on your side's michael finny looks at the odds your package could end up late or lost. those stories and a lot more for you coming up in half an hour on abc 7 news at 6:00. next month engineers are expected to open the gates and let waters from san francisco bay flow into their newest creation. >> it's a wildlife hab that tat promise tuesday be spectacular and to get ready they've been busy adding rooms for special guests. >> reporter: this may be the hottest beachfront property in the bay area. wildlife specialist jonathan young and his colleagues are hard at work on what will soon be a thriving underwater

community for oysters. >> within 12 months we're going to be hopefully seeing small little recruits or baby oysters growing on these reef balls. >> reporter: the reef balls are made up partly from crushedoyster shells donated from bay area restaurants. the team has started placing them. it's the restoration of quartermaster reach, a thriving marsh that will extend from the bay up stream to the watershed. >> this is just an opportunity to bring back a piece of the lost landscape that was san francisco. >> reporter: project manager says the plan is to open the newly constructed coverts and let the water flow in slowly to protect the soil. reeds and other marsh plants will stretch from the banks re-creating a habitat that was once abundant. >> the village was very close by, and they were living and harvesting shellfish and oysters and muscles in this exact location.

>> oysters and other sea life are already thriving at christy's existing wildlife area and a wildlife technician believes the food chain could quickly move inland. >> we're going to be getting a lot of fish in the upper tide as well. we'll probably get some small bass in there, rays, maybe monkey faced eels, even a small leopard shark. >> and by the end of the year hikers should be able to begin exploring for themselves along pathways that will wind past the newoyster habitat through the marsh and with a little imagination back in time. it's pretty remarkable. it's a target date december 8th to open the trail connecting the field to the watershed. world news tonight with david g muir is next. >> thanks for inviting us into your homes tonight. our next newscast is coming up at 6:00 so we'll see you then.

tonight, the race to the finish. president trump and joe biden both in pennsylvania, eight days left. the president tonight again saying we are rounding the corner on the virus, as the nation marks an all-time record for new cases this weekend since this pandemic began. and the new outbreak involving several people close to vice president mike pence, including his body man and chief of staff. mike pence still out campaigning and not quarantining. as cdc guidelines suggest. the white house saying pence on the campaign trail is an essential worker. joe biden, meanwhile, on the attack tonight, after what the president's chief of staff said about the virus. the record-setting turnout across much of this country. more than 62 million early votes cast so far. people waiting in line for hours, smashing records in battleground states including florida. and earlba