SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As the season begins to change, crews from Sacramento are staying busy and deploying a tractor called "The Claw."
The Claw is making its way around the city collecting piles of leaves from residential areas ahead of the upcoming winter storm expected to hit the region.
"We want to remind people to put their leaves first in the containers that they have and those will be collected weekly no matter what," said Jesa David with the city's Recycling and Solid Waste Division. "Whatever you can't fit in your container, that's what's piled in the street and the Claw will come and get it for you."
Pesky leaves piled outside of yard waste containers may create problems as rain and wind moves in Saturday. Some areas flooded in previous years due to leaves and debris clogging up storm drains.
"Whenever you make your leaf pile, try to keep it as neat as you can. 4 by 4 by 9 feet and keep it out of bike lanes, keep it away from storm drains," said David. "That will help prevent those flooding issues and also helps our collections teams get through faster."
For those travelling to higher elevations over the next few days, remember to prepare vehicles for the snow.
Sara Savio with Sacramento Specialty Automotive says first and foremost, drivers should check to see if their battery is in proper working order.
"Make sure all of your lights are working — exterior lights, and that your headlamps aren't really foggy. Having a safety kit where you've got flares, you've got jumper cables, you've got water, you've got some food, you've got blankets just in case you do get stuck and some de-icer," said Savio.
She also advises drivers to check their wiper blades before hitting the road.
"Here in the Sacramento area, we've got the really hot heat, so replacing wiper blades annually is something," said Savio. "Also making sure that your washers are working so hit the wand to make sure that the washer fluid is squirting out of both nozzles."
With snow expected in the higher elevations on Election Day, the elections office in El Dorado County says they're prepared and have generators on standby in their voting centers and are even considering hiring an escort to get ballots down from the Tahoe area.
WATCH MORE: Tips for driving in the rain and snow
