1998 YouTube video used as bargaining chip for federal funding

In 1998, San Francisquito Creek, a 14-mile waterway that originates in the San Francisco Bay and runs through the California Bay Area peninsula, flooded the region, destroying thousands of homes and causing $25.5 million worth of damage. All efforts to construct additional flood prevention measures have been halted, due to lack of funds, and local officials in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and San Mateo Country have been lobbying for the past two years for an additional $700,000 in federal flood protection funds.

This year, in an effort to make a stronger case for its funding needs, the San Francisquito Creek's board of directors is including a YouTube video in their pitch to California state representatives: Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and Palo Alto Rep. Anna Eshoo. This video shows the Palo Alto area's major highway and local airport completely submerged under water after the 1998 flood.