LAT: Santa Ana winds: 42 buildings red-tagged in Pasadena

[ellisonz]

Source: LA Times



Photo: Carol Harsha surveys damage to her property on Pine Bluff Drive in Pasadena. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Pasadena fire inspectors red-tagged 42 buildings damaged by strong winds, and an additional 200 must be evaluated before a second storm hits the region Thursday night, officials said.

Six buildings in Pasadena have been yellow-tagged, which means access is severely limited, said city spokeswoman Lisa Derderian. A red-tagged building means no one can enter.

Pasadena took the brunt of a windstorm that lashed Southern California on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The Fire Department received 200 calls for service in eight hours, up from its usual 30 a day, Derderian said.

About 4,000 customers remained without power Thursday afternoon, down from 6,000 in the morning.

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/pasadena-winds-red-tagged.html

---

Pasadena schools will remain closed through tomorrow. My hometown.

[Warpy]

1. We're getting hurricane force gusts here in NM

and they're predicting heavy snow, so the midwest better prepare for a big storm at the beginning of next week.

[jwirr]

4. Thanks for the warning. When I was growing up 60 mph winds were

considered hurricane strength so the winds that hit California were really dangerous. Is this something unusual in your area?

[Warpy]

8. There are a couple of big storms every year

but they're mostly in the spring. The big cluster of tornadoes in Alabama last spring were all part of one of those storms as it went east.

These winds aren't unheard of, in other words, but they are obnoxious.

I've had to chase my wheelie bin down the street twice so far.

[jwirr]

10. Yeah I sympathize with having to clean up and find all your things

back. Been in some strong winds in the past.

[jaysunb]

2. it was a wild night.

Sounded like the world was ending :) my pine tree is now on the neighbors roof. So I guess we won't have to arguee about the needles in her gutters every year.
Patio furniture mostly in the pool...guess we'll finally replace.
Good. Thing : nobody killed. Downside: lots of cleanup :)
Sorry you missed it! :hi:

[ellisonz]

3. You have power!

Sorry to hear about your tree - but hey at least there's an upside :sarcasm:

Let's hope for no more damage tonight.

We had a palm tree in a planter break loose of its restraints and topple here in Lawndale. :hi:

Falling tree crushes kennel roof at San Gabriel Valley Human Society; no animals injured
Posted: 12/01/2011 02:46:53 PM PST

SAN GABRIEL - Nearly a year after the roof on its cat kennels collapsed amid heavy rains, the San Gabriel Valley Human Society was dealt another blow Thursday when a large tree blew over and smashed the roof of one of its dog kennels.

Humane Society President Pat Brayer the tree fell over sometime between midnight and 7 a.m., knocking over a fence and landing on the building that houses the shelter's large dogs.

None of the dogs was injured, Brayer said.

“That was my worst fear,” she said. “They were really scared. The big ones - they get scared more easily.”

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19449551

Lots of close calls I'd imagine.

Photos: http://lang.pasadenastarnews.com/photos/photos.asp?a=1371650#id=1371650&num=25

[ellisonz]

5. Interactive: How Santa Ana winds form

http://www.latimes.com/news/graphics/la-me-santaanawinds-20111201-pg,0,4485252.photogallery

[gratuitous]

6. Has Ron Paul been notified of this overbearing government intrusiveness?

How DARE government officials tell people they can't go into their own homes?! It's fascism! It's tyranny! Ron Paul needs to go to Pasadena right fucking now and show those government-types that he won't obey their dicta. Think of how this could shoot him up in the polls.

[ellisonz]

7. Ron Paul wants to fire Smokey the Bear.

I don't think Ron Paul cares about the City of Pasadena or civil society in general. Ron Paul only cares about making you a slave to your fellow man.

Paul’s own oratory tends to deemphasize his reactionary stance on social issues, or to sugarcoat it. But his program is now laid out in black-and-white. Last month, the Paul campaign set forth the details of what it grandiloquently called a “Plan to Restore America.” It has received surprisingly little attention, given Paul’s surging popularity.

-------

*No more national parks. Goodbye, Department of the Interior.

http://www.salon.com/2011/11/29/ron_pauls_phony_populism/

We're lucky it's been a rainy year hear in SoCal, otherwise we would be contending with wildfires too and nobody to fight them.

[K8-EEE]

12. Oh what I would not give for an obtrusive city goverment right now!

I wish they would intrude on the city tree that is lying on the cars in our driveway. Please give government, haul your big government tree off!

[Lorien]

9. One note from this hurricane survivor; if the uprooted tree is small enough

you can often pull it back up with a truck, stake it, and it will take root again. One of my neighbors did that with a 20 ft loquat and it's producing fruit again.

[K8-EEE]

11. All three of our cars were crashed in by a falling pepper tree

I am just beside myself that I only got liability for my daughter's car - she is a new driver and it was a 10 year old (but pristine) car, poor kid, she got it for her 21st b-day and only had it for five days - it's totalled and a total loss. We console ourselves that nobody was hurt, but it's hard.

[ellisonz]

13. I'm sorry to hear that.

It gets better eventually :grouphug:

[EFerrari]

19. I'm so sorry, K8-EEE.

But so glad no one was hurt.

We had half the wind speed up here and no damage. The racket alone was sort of unnerving, lasting for more than 24 hours.

[lonestarnot]

25. Damn! I am so sorry.

:hug: :grouphug:

[ellisonz]

14. Day 2: Photo Galleries

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19457199



More than a dozen of power polls knocked over in the 9900 block of Live Oak Ave. in Temple City on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. Winds gusting up to 80 miles an hour whipped through the west San Gabriel Valley overnight causing trees to snap and power lines to fall. (SGVN/Staff photo by Watchara Phomicinda/SVCity) (Watchara Phomicinda)

[ellisonz]

15. The San Gabriel Valley was spared damaging winds overnight, massive clean-up effort continues

By Brian Day, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/02/2011 08:47:46 AM PST

The San Gabriel Valley was spared damaging winds overnight, however the massive clean-up effort from the aftermath of the previous night's violent wind storm continues, and more than 140,000 area residents remain without electricity, authorities said.

About 140,000 Southern California Edison customer remained in the dark Friday morning, compared with a peak of about 230,000 Thursday, SCE officials said. Officials asked the public's patience as utility workers incrementally restored service to neighborhoods.

In Pasadena, which was hit hardest by the wind, "Fortunately, it was very calm overnight, which gave us an opportunity to get a lot accomplished restoring infrastructure," Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

Despite the decrease in wind speeds, Derderian warned area residents to stay alert as faster-than-usual winds are predicted through the weekend.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19455973

"Windmageddon" x(

[ariesgem]

31. Still no power here in Altadena

36 hours :-(

[ellisonz]

16. LAT: High winds blew down 400 trees in Griffith Park

Los Angeles city crews on Friday were working to clean up debris and some 400 downed trees in shuttered Griffith Park, many of which had fallen on Roosevelt Municipal Golf Course. They said the park would likely be open by sunrise Saturday.

Officials said two other parks in Northeast L.A. -- Ernest E. Debs and Elysian Park -- also had damage including hundreds of downed trees but were not closed. Other parks across the city were mostly spared, they said.

"If this kind of damage had occurred throughout every park in the city, we'd really be in trouble," said Kevin Regan of the parks department. "But fortunately it's manageable," he said.

In an interesting twist, Regan and other officials said native California trees fared better during the winds than foreign trees such as eucalyptus that are more susceptible to root fungus.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/santa-ana-winds-blew-down-400-trees-in-griffith-park.html

[ellisonz]

17. LAT: L.A. Arboretum suffers extensive damage from windstorm

Photos: A fallen catalpa tree on a bench. Credit: Frank McDonough

December 2, 2011 | 12:22 pm

The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden remains closed until further notice after suffering extensive damage from the Santa Ana winds that hit the San Gabriel Valley especially hard. Taking inventory early Friday morning in Arcadia, chief executive Richard Schulhof said hundreds of trees have been damaged. Schulhof said he was greatly relieved that heritage trees from the 1870s were OK, but other trees were a total loss and cleanup may take months.

Click here to see more photos.The arboretum posted photos on its Facebook page of a snapped Crimean linden tree, uprooted dragon palms, damaged ash and jacaranda trees and a crepe myrtle tree that had been uprooted.

------

Schulhof said the arboretum's beloved peacocks are "frazzled" but fine.

Like the arboretum, the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino also was without power Friday and will remain closed until further notice. Spokeswoman Lisa Blackburn said about 20 large trees -- oaks, pines, deodars and a big tree aloe in the Desert Garden -- had been lost, as were a number of smaller trees. Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge reported that due to downed trees and live power lines, it also is closed until further notice.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/home_blog/2011/12/los-angeles-arboretum-wind-damage.html

[ellisonz]

18. Santa Ana winds: Gusts top 150 mph at Mammoth Mountain

December 2, 2011 | 1:36 pm

The blistering winds that ripped through Southern California on Wednesday reached speeds so high that they could not be accurately recorded at the peak of Mammoth Mountain, according to a park spokesperson who estimated winds gusted up to 170 miles per hour.

Mammoth Mountain's patrol website reported constant gusts clocked at 150 miles per hour several times throughout Wednesday. Tracking equipment was set to max out at that speed, so winds at the 11,000-foot peak were almost certainly higher, said Ski Patrol director Bobby Hoyt.

"I had never seen these kind of winds here from that direction, with that intensity, for that period of time," said Hoyt, who has worked at the mountain for 32 years. "It was very, very unusual."

But National Weather Service meteorologist Dawn Fishler said that high wind speeds were not all that uncommon for the mountain ridge. Like Hoyt, she noted that the difference was the direction the winds came from.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/weather/

[ellisonz]

20. LAT: Occupy L.A., wind damage may add to $72-million city budget shortfall

- David Zahniser at Los Angeles City Hall

Less than six months into its fiscal year, the city of Los Angeles faces a $72-million budget shortfall, raising the prospect of new cuts in services in coming weeks, according to a report released Friday.

City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana, budget advisor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the City Council, called, as part of his interim financial status report, for nearly two dozen city agencies to absorb a combined $21 million in reductions. And he warned that the shortfall could grow once city officials calculate the cost of cleanup in the wake of this week's ferocious windstorms and the two-month encampment outside City Hall by Occupy L.A.

"These are unforeseen problems that we have to pay for one way or the other," Santana said in an interview. “The timing was not helpful.”

-----

With a shortfall expected to exceed $200 million for the fiscal year starting July 1, officials are "running out of options" for balancing the budget, he added.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/los-angeles-budget-shortfall-deficit-2011.html#more

[ellisonz]

21. Insurance experts say look at your policy, prevent further damage and avoid insurance fraud

By Lauren Gold, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/02/2011 02:15:17 PM PST

As San Gabriel Valley residents begin to assess damages from Wednesday night's Santa Ana wind storm, insurance experts say that most homeowner's policies will provide some level of coverage.

"So long as that tree has damaged something on your house or property, your homeowner's policy will typically have some amount available for tree removal," said Candysse Miller, executive director of the Insurance Information Network of California.

-------

Jones added that it is important for insurance holders to be fully aware of their policy's coverage. Those who have complaints about disputes with their insurance company can call the Department of Insurance consumer hotline at 1-800-927-4357.

One threat residents with damaged property should also be aware of, Miller said, is people posing as contractors or public adjustors who are unlicensed. To check if a contractor's name online at the Contractors State License Board or by calling (800) 321-CSLB. To check if an adjustor is legitimate, call the Department of Insurance hotline listed above.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_19458131

[ellisonz]

22. Wind: Downed trees likely affected all Pasadena streets, official says

Photo: A prison crew cuts fallen trees on 600 Eldora Road in Pasadena. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

December 2, 2011 | 3:55 pm
-- Sam Quinones in Pasadena

Pasadena is known for its trees -- and now the city is paying a heavy price, officials said.

Officials estimate that at least 450 city-owned trees fell as fierce Santa Ana winds roared through Wednesday night and into Thursday. That doesn't count trees on private property. Nor does it count trees damaged or toppled in city parks, which will probably run into the hundreds once the city gets a chance to count them. Officials haven't been able to do so because of having to deal with downed trees on streets. The city-run Brookside Golf Course lost 100 trees alone.

Look up Pasadena on Google Earth and "you realize you can't see anything but the tops of trees," said City Manager Michael Beck. "I would be surprised if there was a street that wasn't impacted."

Budget shortfalls have forced the city to cut 300 staffers since 2009. All public works and utility employees are working 12-hour shifts, he said.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/wind-pasadena-likely-lost-a-tree-on-every-street-official-says.html

Keep in mind, until this is all cleared up, emergency vehicles will have a tough time accessing many parts of Pasadena.

[Kablooie]

23. Thursday night there was no wind at all.

We were warned that it would be a similar storm but there was hardly a breeze.
Several areas still dont have power though. (I'm writing this Friday evening)

[ellisonz]

24. Meteorology is an art.

:-)

[ellisonz]

26. LAT: Neighbors swept up in clearing storm debris

With crews swamped, San Gabriel Valley residents pitch in to clear yards of broken limbs and downed trees. For some, it's a reminder to update their disaster plan.
By Esmeralda Bermudez and Sam Quinones, Los Angeles Times
December 3, 2011

The fiercest windstorm in a decade may have caught Laurie Amaya off guard, but on Friday, she was quick to find a solution to the sea of debris blanketing her yard in South Pasadena.

Rather than rake for three hours, the attorney hit up her neighbor's gardener.

------

Across the most wind-swept areas, Southern Californians got moving in the scrappiest ways to clean up after Mother Nature. Many knew city crews were overwhelmed with calls.

------

Residents, meanwhile, reached for their rakes, loppers, cutters and trash bags. Those with children at home put them to work. Those without electricity stocked up on candles and flashlights. And those without water were showering at the gym or relying on wet wipes.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wind-cleanup-20111203,0,6260368.story

[ellisonz]

27. After the wind, a tidy Pasadena neighborhood pulls together

Residents of Pasadena's Historic Highlands district remove debris from lawns and driveways and reduce an uprooted jacaranda to fireplace-size logs. 'Oh, you think we are just helping out the city by clearing the street?' one neighbor laughed. 'We're in it for the firewood.'



Joy Gibson cuts up a jacaranda tree toppled by the winds in Pasadena. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times

December 2, 2011

The Historic Highlands district is prototypical of the Pasadena-Altadena aesthetic: turn-of-the-century Craftsman homes next to 1920s Spanish bungalows across from grand colonial-revival mansions, set amid a forest of mature oaks, eucalyptus and jacaranda trees.

The tidy north Pasadena neighborhood resounded Thursday with the whine of chain saws biting into many of those trees, as residents dug out after a night of howling winds turned palm fronds into missiles and launched limbs into backyards. Drifts of eucalyptus leaves banked up against curbs; as cars crushed them, the piles gave off a fragrant scent.

By 7 a.m., a group of residents on Rio Grande Street were swarming like termites over an uprooted jacaranda, reducing it to fireplace-size logs in several hours. The tree had recently been tagged by the city for removal, so Joy Gibson and his wife, Barbara, were ready for the loss. Still, they were surprised that nature had done the city's work, leaving the already stressed tree sprawled across the street, blocking the road.

"I don't have any emotional attachment to trees," said Barbara Gibson, shrugging. "I have emotional attachments to people. Unless it's my orange tree..."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wind-scene-20111202,0,7639997.story

[ellisonz]

28. Homeless woman, pet dog find a way to weather windstorm

Photo: Joanne secures her wordly possesions to her Nissan, as Sheba looks on. Credit: Sam Quinones.

December 2, 2011 | 4:03 pm
Sam Quinones

Without the Internet or television, and not having read a newspaper or listened to the radio, Joanne had no idea what she was heading toward Wednesday night as she drove into town with her life's belongings stuffed in a car.

“I didn’t get the weather reports until the weather came," the homeless woman said.

Joanne is 60 and says she’s been homeless for 15 years, nine of those in Pasadena. And while she's experienced the elements in full force, never has she felt winds as furious as those that swept across the San Gabriel Valley on Wednesday night.

She was driving around looking for help with her car’s water pump when the windstorm took shape. She said she pulled into a Burger King on Colorado Boulevard to take refuge.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/how-a-homeless-woman-weathered-the-storm.html#more

[ellisonz]

29. Proliferation of 'mansions' may have helped Temple City avoid greater damage

Photo: Large Temple City home. Credit: Sam Quinones / Los Angeles Times

-- Sam Quinones

Close to 200 trees in Temple City were uprooted and about 30 homes damaged by broken limbs and trunks during heavy winds that left much of the town without power Friday, officials said.

Yet Temple City lost notably fewer trees than neighboring towns in the heavily hit San Gabriel Valley, partly because of a building boom over the last few years that has replaced traditional homes with residences 6,000-square-feet and larger.

The enormous structures, including multi-car garages and numerous bathrooms and bedrooms, are built out close to lot lines, and many older trees had to be torn out to make room.

-----

Moreover, many mansion owners are Chinese immigrants with a faith in feng shui -- the ancient Chinese practice of balancing energies in a given place. Often, they build their mansions without trees near the front of the house to allow more energy to enter.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/weather/

[ellisonz]

30. L.A. DWP working to restore power to 37,000 customers

December 2, 2011 | 11:15 pm

-- Gale Holland

About 37,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customers remain without power Friday night, down from 200,000 at the height of the blackout that followed extreme winds this week, according to a 10 p.m. update from the utility.

Most of the residents who still don't have their lights back on live in Glassell Park and Highland Park, according to the update posted on the agency's website. Spokesman Joe Ramallo said the utility lost a large receiving station that served the area, and had outages at two medical centers, Children's Hospital and Kaiser, complicating the restoration effort.

The agency has 135 power system crews working to get everyone back online. Other neighborhoods still in the dark include Los Feliz, Eagle Rock, Silver Lake, Cypress Park, Boyle Heights and Larchmont.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/weather/