By DOUGLAS W. MOTLEY
Senior Writer
Last week’s storm surprised many residents by the amount of damage that was caused by both the rain that soaked the ground and then the wind that toppled many trees onto houses, across roadways and into vehicles.
The first snow created heavy ice on many of the trees, which were later blown down by the wind, causing damage. After the storm, the ice fell from the trees and thudded against roofs, some buildings and onto vehicles, breaking some windows.
Lake Arrowhead Village got a dusting of snow early on Thursday morning.
During the storm, since the roads were declared R-2 conditions by Caltrans, some drivers were stuck on the roadways as they were in two-wheel drive vehicles that slid in the snow. Some got stuck, as they didn’t have traction devices installed and were trying to drive during or after the storm with snow on the roads. Cars were seen sliding across roads uncontrollably, when trying to drive up and down hills, especially around curves. Caltrans suggests not driving during active snowstorms, unless absolutely necessary, and to have proper traction devices for the weather conditions.
The Running Springs and Dart Canyon areas were without power for almost 24 hours straight for numerous unannounced reasons. In some cases, power would be restored and then go out again as another tree fell. The Cedarpines Park area suffered even more, since the main line to the area was interrupted and homes in Sawpit Canyon were without power for several days. Many of the outages were caused by falling trees, many of which were blown down by the extremely strong wind, while others landed on electrical lines or hit poles, causing the outages.
Several poles snapped in half from the heavy ice on top of the new, heavy equipment on the top of the poles. So many outages were occurring that Edison notified customers they were unable to determine what had caused all the outages; they were working as swiftly as possible to find the causes of each outage and return the area to service. Internet service was also out in several areas, including most of Running Springs and Green Valley Lake.
Several homes suffered damage from tree trunks and branches falling on them and branches penetrating roofs and into the living spaces. Photos on Facebook showed two different homes with branches protruding into the living spaces.
As the snow melts, the Automobile Association of America (AAA) now suggests keeping your eyes peeled for black ice from the water runoff that re-freezes at night from melting snow and the water flowing across the road. Black ice can cause your vehicle to lose traction and slide sideways into another one, especially on curves, or even slide completely off the road. This is particularly important at night, when visibility is limited, so having the proper snow tires or traction devices on your wheels is important in such circumstances. Traction on ice is difficult to achieve, which causes accidents and wind makes it difficult to control a vehicle on these twisting roads.
One of the many vehicles damaged by a falling tree. (Facebook photo)
When asked how many road incidents had occurred on the mountain since the storm began, CHP Officer Jacob Griede told the Alpine Mountaineer that most accidents are caused by out-of-control vehicles sliding on ice. He added that a powerful wind gust blew a large tree across Lake Gregory Drive at Bergschrund and landed on two vehicles. Luckily, all four occupants were able to get out of the cars safely, while one person had to be extricated by firefighters. Several other trees were blown across roads, all week long, causing road closures.
Griede noted that AAA is urging motorists to assess possible damage to their vehicle, particularly the undercarriage, which is suspectable to hitting snow clods or large rocks in the middle of the road that could damage the wheels and brake shoes. He added that the CHP received a high volume of roadside assistance calls for vehicles stuck in the snow, dead batteries and help with installing chains or cables when there’s no chain control present.
On Friday, Feb. 20. Officer Griede told the Alpine Mountaineer that motorists should always drive slowly on snow or ice so they don’t lose control of their vehicle. This is especially important when traveling on a steep or winding road, which can lead to the vehicle spinning out of control or sliding backwards into another car.
After so many weeks of warm weather, local residents are relieved that the storm has moved out of the area, but the possibility of additional trees falling is real, especially if wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph return while the soil is still wet. As the soil dries out, it’s possible that rocksli, that they may need to avoid those rocks.
Rim of the World Unified School District cancelled school each day of the storm for student safety and to lessen traffic on roadways full of parents and school busses taking children to school. It takes about a day after the snow stops flying for the school walkways and grounds to be cleared enough for student access. Since several schools in the district have portable units for classrooms, these walkways need to be cleared of ice for student safety.
Because the school district has a wide differing elevations between Running Springs and Valley of Enchantment, when the snow is falling heavily in the higher elevations and roads are determined to be unsafe to transport students, all schools are closed for the day. They notified parents daily through the district websites and through automated phone calls.
Many businesses in the mountain communities also close when school is called for the day, also supporting the Caltrans requests for encouraging people to stay off the roadways.
0 Comments