SFO: Police temporarily shut down Terminal 1, winds cause more than 300 delays
SFO: Police temporarily shut down Terminal 1
A police dog trained to detect explosives flagged a suspicious package at the airport.
SAN FRANCISCO - Police shut down Terminal 1 at SFO on Friday morning to clear a suspicious package, following powerful storms that caused travel disruptions at San Francisco International Airport, the day after Christmas.
Police were called out to the airport about 8:15 a.m. regarding a suspicious package, and authorities evacuated the area, police said. The department later said that a police dog that was trained to detect explosives flagged an unattended package at the airport.
Authorities determined the terminal was safe to reopen about two hours later.
At a news conference nearly three hours after the incident broke out, police spokesman Robert Reuca said the airport has since been deemed safe, and the terminal reopened. He did not discuss the contents of the package, who may have left it behind, or reveal much else about it.
Rueca added that investigators are reviewing surveillance footage from the area to discover who may have left the package.
SFO Airport Manager Nicholas Evangelista told KTVU that staff did their best to redirect travelers, but admitted there could be residual delays.
The other side:
SFO has more than 150 delays because of wind
Travelers delayed because of wind at SFO on the day after Christmas.
Even before that, travel was difficult at SFO.
High winds led to flight delays. As of early morning, at least 153 flights had been delayed due to gusty conditions. As of the afternoon, more than 300 delays had been reported.
"I got a text just as we were leaving Berkeley that my flight was 45 minutes delayed," Beth Kevles told KTVU. "Now it's an hour delayed so still a good chance of getting into Boston on time, so crossing my fingers."
Among those affected were travelers from Georgia heading to Southern California.
Ruby Montesinos said her family’s flight, originally scheduled to depart at 7 a.m., was delayed by more than two hours.
"We were supposed to leave at 7, but we’re leaving at 9:30," Montesinos said. "It sounds pretty delayed. I’m a little worried that it’s probably going to shift."
Across the region, heavy rain flooded roads and toppled trees. In Menlo Park, residents woke up on Christmas Eve to flooded streets, floating vehicles and widespread messes that made some areas impassable.
"The only thing that really happened in terms of the storm was flooding," said Damian Montesinos. "You couldn’t even get through the area because it was so flooded."
Storm conditions also prompted a tornado warning in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley. In the North Bay, downed trees knocked power lines onto roads, leading to outages and complicating cleanup efforts for crews.
Officials urged residents and travelers to remain cautious as storm impacts continue across the Bay Area.
Overall, inclement weather and the earlier suspicious package incident caused 491 delays and 28 cancellations, according to SFO.