 |
|
|
|
|
City weathers initial salvo of storms, sustains little damage
By Oakley Brooks
Saratogans watched several trees and limbs fall in howling winds in the most severe of the first round of winter storms recently.
Apparently no one was hurt, and property damage was minimal.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Substation in Saratoga reported numerous calls related to power outages. Beyond those, Lt. Ernie Smedlund said there were no major emergency calls.
The winds, some reportedly reaching into the 80-mph range, did wreak some havoc on Saratoga's tree population.
The city's acting street maintenance supervisor, Rick Torres, said trees and limbs fell on Saratoga Hills Road and on Saratoga Avenue near the Ranfre Lane intersection.
Several trees were downed near the Saratoga Office Park in the Quito Village region.
Members of Torres' five-man maintenance crew responded from their homes during the Nov. 24 storm to take care of the limbs and trees.
They also had to clear storm drains clogged by leaf litter blown into the streets by the whipping gusts.
The city's maintenance crew has been trying to keep drains clear of the autumn leaf buildup by routine street sweepings, but as Torres said, "You can only do so much. We can't get the leaves to fall in an even flow."
Torres said the city's Public Works Department is in the process of shoring up damaged and ineffective storm drains as part of the citywide pavement management program. The program aims to restore roads and curbs as well.
Torres said the city is hoping to have most of the problem drains fixed before the heavy rains expected in January and February.
But floods can never be completely averted, he said, adding, "Sometimes the system just can't handle all the water."
|
|
|
|
Saratoga, California Since 1955
