Clean-up crews are collecting wind debris. Tom Tate, Director of Public Works for Arcadia, said that "on December 10, we started a systematic clean-up of the city, starting with city crews and contractors, one on the north end, one on the south end. We plan to move through the city, street by street, and hopefully meet in the middle." Tate said his crews have moved about 5,000 tons of debris off the streets since the windstorm hit on November 30-December 1, and estimates they are at least a quarter of the way done. Arcadia Public Works is trying to keep residents updated with Twitter and their website, as well as media releases, on their progress. Tate hopes to conclude the clean-up before Christmas.
Strong winds slammed Southland yesterday and will continue today. In photo, a tree branch toppled yesterday during the wind storm and came to rest atop a Scion car in the 600 block of Sunset Boulevard, just east of Michillinda Avenue, in Arcadia.
While Pasadena is still cleaning up debris from the recent windstorm, other smaller cities that were hard hit, including Temple City and Arcadia, have completed their residential debris removal.
Southern California Edison (SCE) works to restore power to crisis areas after a destructive 70 mph windstorm hit yesterday early morning, and caused power outages in Pasadena, San Gabriel, Alhambra, Arcadia, Altadena, Monrovia, El Monte, Sierra Madre, Temple City, and San Marino.
Strong winds at 70+ mph caused 29 light poles to topple over on Live Oak Avenue. There was damage to six other poles between Santa Anita Avenue and Sixth Avenue.
Clean-up may cost millions in the aftermath of the windstorm that hit in the early hours of December 1. Power is still out in many communities, hundreds of homes damaged and thousands of trees have snapped.
Hurricane strength winds blew through the San Gabriel Valley early yesterday, damaging buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to thousands across the region. Temple City, Sierra Madre, San Marino and Pasadena were especially hard hit by the 70 mph winds that left a trail of destruction from Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles to Irwindale and Azusa. Several cities, including Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Arcadia, Glendora, Alhambra and South Pasadena have been declared states of emergency. Schools were either closed or on a modified schedule yesterday. See related story on p. A3, A4, A5
Arcadia officials urge residents to report wind damage from the overnight windstorm that hit on November 30 and December 1, to help with efforts to receive state and federal emergency assistance. Damages in the city may reach the millions of dollars. Residents are asked to report their storm-related costs to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, 211a.org or by calling 211.
Mayors of seven San Gabriel Valley cities that were hard hit by last year's ferocious windstorm are making a plea to Governor Jerry Brown for state disaster relief. The seven cities include Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Temple City, San Marino, South Pasadena and La Canada Flintridge.
Santa Anita Church sustained considerable windstorm damage. The colored glass plates got smashed in several places by the winds. The church is at 226 W. Colorado Boulevard, Arcadia.
About 1000 feet of sound walls will be built by the westbound lanes of the 210 Foothill Freeway between Second Avenue and Fifth Avenue. There is also discussion of future sound wall construction projects.
Experts say fierce Santa Ana winds will return this week. Last week a brutal windstorm ripped through Southern California, leaving dozens of homes uninhabitable and toppled hundreds of trees in the San Gabriel Valley. Arcadia Unified School District is scheduled to open all its campuses today except Highland Oaks and Longley Way Elementary Schools.
Venting outage outrage. Utilities get earful from wind-affected residents and politicians. Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich chastised Southern California Edison (SCE) officials for not responding effectively and failing during the disaster (windstorm November 30-December 1, 2011).
Several blocks of Live Oak Avenue will be closed through Thursday while Edison crews remove street lights, traffic signals and wooden power poles that snapped under powerful overnight wind gusts Monday from the Santa Ana winds.
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and parts of the Huntington Library remain closed to the public more than two weeks after a ferocious windstorm hit the region overnight on November 30 and December 1. At the historic Arboretum, more than 325 trees were toppled and more than 700 others were damaged. The Arboretum officials want to reopen by December 31. At the Huntington Library in San Marino, more than 50 major trees went down but officials estimate that between 150 and 200 trees will be lost altogether from the damage.