|
Monday's Internet Edition, March 15, 2010.
River Valley rides out storm with no major damage
|
Photo by Sheri Barile
Rancho Murieta clean-up crews work to cut up a large tree trunk on Jan. 20 after the backhoe they were using was unable to handle it whole. The tree fell across a pathway on Fuente de Paz after a large storm moved through the River Valley last week.
|
By Sheri Barile
River Valley Times Reporter
-
Sheets of rain and up to 60-mph winds pounded the River Valley last week, with the worst wave of weather spreading through the area on Wednesday, Jan. 20 causing some downed trees, power outages and minor flooding in low-lying areas. Although the storm was powerful, no injuries or major flooding was reported.
All River Valley towns experienced some debris being spewed due to the high winds. Fallen trees and branches could be seen on some streets including one tall pine tree in Sloughhouse that came down next to Jackson Highway near Kiefer Boulevard. Luckily, downed trees did not cause traffic stoppages or delays.
Rancho Murieta Association Maintenance manager Rod Hart said that no major damage was done to the RM community, even though about a half-dozen good-sized trees were toppled. “We really lucked out,” he said. “I haven’t heard of any damage to structures or vehicles. The trees that did fall fell in the streets and common areas. We’ll be cleaning up a lot of loose debris for a couple of days.”
The Cosumnes River rose to high levels, particularly in Wilton, but water never crossed its banks to cause any major flooding.
Wilton experienced only minor sporadic power losses, but Sloughhouse was hit with a five-hour outage on Jan. 20, and Murieta Plaza in Rancho Murieta also lost power the same day shortly after 10 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m., forcing Plaza Foods to close the doors, according to owner Letitia Sexton. “We’re basically out of business when this happens,” she said. “Fortunately, we didn’t lose any products because we took precautions to keep the food cold.”
Cosumnes River Elementary School (CRES) also went dark, and Principal Mike Gulden said that students were not dismissed, but some parents did drive over to retrieve their children.
Gulden also said that no structural damage to the existing campus or new construction had occurred. “The only problem the weather caused was a delay in outside construction,” he said. “But with the walls and roofs up, the workers just moved inside and got things done in there.”
The only potential problem caused by the power outage at CRES was depressurization of the well because the pump was off. Gulden said letters were sent home to parents explaining that bottled water was made available on campus until the well was treated and tested to make sure drinking water was safe.
Gail Tomson, owner of Salon T in Sloughhouse, said that she had to cancel appointments due to the power outage. She also noted that Deer Creek was running fast and high, but that there were no flooding problems in the low-lying areas around Sloughhouse Inn, which is typically prone to flooding.
|
Online publication, Copyright 2005, The River Valley Times.
Web page design,
Copyright 2005, EZ Edit Web Publishing.
|
|
| |