With the heavily saturated soil unable to secure their roots, trees fell like matchsticks Tuesday, Oct. 13, as the first major storm of the season hit Santa Cruz County.
The storm, which originated in Japan as a typhoon, dumped more than 10 inches of rain on the San Lorenzo Valley within a 24-hour period. The tempest was accompanied by winds that reached 30 mph and higher. Temperatures remained mild, in the 50s during both day and night.
The 10.28 inches that fell in Boulder Creek is the highest total the San Lorenzo Valley Water District has recorded in October since it began recording rainfall in 1980. The El Niño year of 1994-95 dropped only 1.12 inches in October, but in January 1995, it rained more than 30 inches. Another 21.5 fell in March 1995, for a total of 80.06 inches that year. Boulder Creek received 40 inches of rain in 2008-09.
There were minor mudslides in the San Lorenzo Valley, but nothing major slid down the hillside, aside from trees.
“We had an enormous amount of trees that came down,” said John Presleigh, Santa Cruz County director of public works.
County, fire, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and Verizon crews worked late into the night Tuesday to clear blocked roads as quickly as possible. Emergency crews from the fire protection agencies in Bonny Doon, Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek and Scotts Valley answered calls around the clock for downed wires, mudslides and car crashes.
“It was mainly just trees and wires,” Presleigh said. “Tree roots get saturated, and the wind just pushes them right over.”
Power was lost in many areas of Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, Brookdale, Felton and Scotts Valley as the falling trees tore down power lines.
School was canceled Tuesday for San Lorenzo Valley elementary, middle and high schools because of an early-morning power failure. On Wednesday, Boulder Creek Elementary closed because of a blackout.
On Bear Creek Road in Boulder Creek, a large tree crashed down on power lines amidst a torrid Tuesday-morning downpour.
Fallen trees blocked Lompico Road early Tuesday, while Carol Road was flooded. East Zayante Road was also impassable, with trees down and a minor slide.
Downed wires on Alba Road in Ben Lomond and a tree hanging from wires on Whispering Pines Drive in Scotts Valley closed those roads Tuesday.
Valley Churches United Missions in Ben Lomond handed out hundreds of sandbags to those who sought to protect their property from storm runoff.
As of Thursday morning, 25 roads in the county were still blocked, including Jamison Creek Road in Boulder Creek.
Presleigh said it could take a week to clear all the roads of debris after the utility companies, PG&E and Verizon, remove fallen lines.
The American Red Cross set up an emergency reception center in Davenport after about 60 homes on Swanton Road in Davenport received voluntary evacuation calls Tuesday morning. Scars from the summer’s Lockheed Fire worried county officials, who feared mudslides. However, no serious slides were reported in the area.
“I thought we came out of it pretty good, even though we had a lot of road closures,” Presleigh said.
For information about road closures: www.sccroadclosure.org.
At a glance:
Rainfall between Monday, Oct. 12, and Wednesday, Oct. 14:
• Scotts Valley: 9.44 inches
• Ben Lomond: 11.13 inches
• Boulder Creek: 10.28 inches
• Bonny Doon: 11.1 inches
