Clear skies and severe winds meant destruction last week in Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley.
An unusual fall windstorm with nearly two days of constant winds and gusts of 60 to 70 mph felled many trees and power lines and caused widespread electricity failures in the two valleys.
The gusting winds continued through Thursday until early Friday morning.
The storm damage was significant in Scotts Valley.
“We had five different buildings where trees fell into the building,” Scotts Valley Fire Department Chief Mike McMurry reported several days after the storm.
The wind knocked down dozens of trees and power lines Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, which cut electricity to Scotts Valley and resulted in several small fires, McMurry said.
“Thankfully, the fires that did break out were contained quickly,” he said.
Winds continued in Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek and Bonny Doon all day Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Power failures closed schools in Scotts Valley and the San Lorenzo Valley on Dec. 1. Scotts Valley’s schools were in session Friday, Dec. 2, but SLV canceled school for a second day, as the district remained without electricity.
The California Department of Education announced that the schools will still receive state funding for the missed days.
“I want to assure school districts that they will not lose funding if their facilities are closed or used as emergency shelters during this disaster,” Tom Torlakson, state schools superintendent, said in a statement.
In Scotts Valley, a Ponderosa pine tree fell on longtime resident Jackie Heald’s home on Lockwood Lane. The tree crunched her roof two days before she was to host a Christmas party for 40 people.
“It sounded like a 747 landing on your roof,” Heald said early Dec. 1 as she surveyed the damage with a neighbor.
On Kentwood Court, an oak tree fell during the night and smashed two cars, landing partially in a swimming pool.
“I’ve been here 25 years, and this is the worst (storm) we’ve ever had,” said Carlos Lazalde, who noted that the vehicles had been his children’s first cars and were not driven often. “I called both of my kids and told them, ‘Both your cars are gone.’”
An apple tree full of green fruit was uprooted across the street from the Lazaldes’ home, scattering the fruit across the road.
“It’s pretty amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said neighbor Mark Nicholson.
A huge tree was toppled along Scotts Valley Drive in front of Baymonte Preschool. The tree did not hit the preschool building, but it crushed part of the outdoor playground, while leaving a path and a bench at a 30-degree angle off the ground.
In Mount Hermon, trees fell on several homes, and Conference Drive was blocked by a fallen tree.
Felton Empire Road in Felton was blocked by a fallen tree, too, and wires were pulled down in many parts of the valley. Felton Fire Protection District Chief Ron Rickabaugh said the district fielded about 40 calls for service during the two-day storm.
Outside of the power failures, Chief Stacie Brownlee of Ben Lomond Fire Protection District said her area was relatively unscathed.
“We fared pretty good,” Brownlee said.
She noted that several big trees fell, but the main arteries, Alba Road, Empire Grade and Highway 9, were open within the district, which took 45 calls for service in two days.
Zayante Fire Department was busy with fallen-tree and fallen-wire calls throughout the district, handling 21 in 36 hours, Chief John Stipes said.
“There were several cars taken out, and one house was barely clipped by a tree,” Stipes said. “It could have been a lot worse. Overall, we were fairly unscathed.”
Stipes said that the one positive aspect of the windstorm was that the weather was relatively warm and the firefighters were not soaked when they returned after a call.
Stipes and Brownlee both warned residents to avoid power lines on the ground, even if the power appears to be out.
“When you have trees and wires down, we can’t do anything until PG&E shuts down the power and grounds the line,” Stipes said.
Some parts of Boulder Creek were reportedly without both water and electricity, as Big Basin Water Co. had a break in a 12-inch concrete water main that was unconnected to the other problems.
Jim Moore, who manages the water company, said about 300 connections had no water until early Saturday morning.
Electricity in rural Boulder Creek and the hills above Scotts Valley did not return until Saturday afternoon or, in some cases, Sunday morning.
On Monday, there were still 130 customers waiting for power to be restored in the county and 39 more in Scotts Valley, said Pacific Gas and Electric Co. spokeswoman Monica Tell. By Wednesday, power was fully restored in the valleys.
Tell said PG&E prioritizes its response to resolve hazards and then return power to the largest number of customers, police and fire departments and hospitals as quickly as possible.
In some remote areas, Tell added, crews must use helicopters to remove trees and repair lines, which makes the task more challenging, especially in stormy conditions.
