Some of the problems street maintenance supervisor Rick Torres deals with at this time of year are downed trees, flooding and possible landslides.

The first major storm of the season was on Dec. 1. Torres and his crew were called out to Saratoga Avenue when a downed eucalyptus limb damaged a car and blocked the road. "There were no injuries but it closed down the roadway for about three hours," he said. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department handled traffic while Torres and his crew worked to open the road up. Then the Valley Crest Tree Company came and removed the bulk of the limb, Torres explained.

Torres is also responsible for the city's storm drains. His crew of five maintains 2,600 drains. "We sweep the storm drains once a month and check them out before and after a storm," he said.

Torres has worked for the city for nearly 21 years and has seen several major landslides over his career. "We had one in about '86 on Bowman Road," he said. "A slide came down and covered the road for about 50 yards." Rubble on the road was two feet deep and his crew, along with contractors, had to dig it out, he said. "We monitor and try to catch these things before they happen," he said. "We let engineering know and the geologists and they'll check the stability."

So far this year, the city has gotten about 2.25 inches of rain. Last year was a particularly wet one with 30 inches total. Torres said 18 inches is about average. "Usually, we get a little bit more than San Jose would get because we're right against the mountains," he said. "It really dumps when it hits the mountains." He said on average about five storms hit the area each season.

Torres attended this year's annual Santa Clara County storm meeting. There was talk of another Pineapple Express, but nothing is certain when it comes to the weather, Torres said. The Pineapple Express is a weather system that mixes warm, moist air from Hawaii with cold air from the northern Pacific as it hits the coast, causing torrential rains. Torres said the National Weather Service could give seven days advance warning for heavy rains.

He said that if a tree goes down on a public right-of-way, it is the responsibility of the city. But if a tree goes down on private property, it is the responsibility of the property owner. "It's a good idea to keep an eye on your trees," Torres said. "If they're dead or withering, then it's a good idea to call an arborist. I would recommend doing this in the late summer or fall. But if you see something wrong with a tree, have an arborist come and check it out."

If water needs to be diverted from flooding a garage or erosion is a problem, Torres suggests using sandbags. The city supplies free sandbags available 24 hours a day at 19700 Allendale Ave. The bags are empty and can be filled with sand on-site. However, the Santa Clara Valley Water District provides pre-filled sandbags bags at its Winfield Warehouse in San Jose, 5905 Winfield Blvd.

For a seven-day weather forecast, visit the National Weather Service website, www.nws.noaa.gov/.