Storms lead to power outages, closure of Emily Drive

Photo by Michael Woodward

DOWNED TREE: Anderson Police Officer John Nevens directs traffic around a tree felled by high winds onto Douglas Street on Tuesday.

Photo by Michael Woodward

SPIN OUT: Emergency personnel work through rain and high winds that continued on Wednesday morning to assist a woman who's vehicle collided with a tree off of Interstate 5 north of Gas Point Road. Aja O'Brien, of Cottonwood, who appeared to be in her 30s, suffered an abrasion to her face and complained of a pain in her leg following the collision on the east side of northbound I-5, according to rescue personnel on scene.

Photo by Michael Woodward

FLOODING: Emily Drive in Anderson flooded Wednesday and was closed by city staff at about 12:30 p.m. The road remained closed as of 3 p.m. Wednesday

Strong rains on Tuesday and Wednesday caused the flooding and eventual closure of Emily Drive on Wednesday at about 12:30 p.m. according to City of Anderson Director of Public Works Jeff Kiser said. Water had pooled at the elbow of Emily Drive near the baseball fields. The water couldn't drain, as the level of Anderson Creek rose above the outlet drains, Kiser said. The road was reopened Thursday morning.

The storms brought rain and high winds that knocked down tree branches across Anderson and the South County on Tuesday and Wednesday. Driven by 39 mph wind with gusts of 47 mph, according to Accuweather.com on Tuesday, the fallen branches led to several power outages. W

Pacific Gas and Electric spokesman Paul Moreno listed power outages in the South County in a telephone interview at 2:18 p.m. on Wednesday:

On Wednesday, 1,315 customers in southeast Anderson lost power at 9:34 a.m. when strong winds blew lines together. Power was returned at 1 p.m.

About 40 customers near Dersch and Deschutes roads lost power yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a power pole. Three customers were still without power as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.

About 43,000 customers across the North State were without power on Wednesday afternoon, Moreno said, adding that only a few thousand were outside of Butte and Plumas counties.

On Tuesday at 7:44 a.m., 103 customers lost power when a tree branch struck a power line on Ash Creek Road east of Balls Ferry Road. PG&E crews returned power at 8:07 a.m.

On Tuesday at 8:51 a.m., 153 customers in Anderson lost power in the Ferry and Martha streets area in Anderson. PG&E crews were still investigating as of 9:30 a.m.

On Tuesday at 9:18 a.m., 48 customers lost power when a a tree limb struck a power line on Iceland Drive south of Anderson.

On Tuesday at 9:30 a.m., 42 customers in Anderson lost power in the Fig Tree Lane area. No further information was immediately available.

The National Weather Service issued a weather advisory on Tuesday that warned of an "urban and small stream flood advisory for minor flooding of poor drainage areas" in south central Shasta County.

"Excessive runoff from heavy rainfall will cause elevated levels on small creeks and streams ... and ponding of water on country roads and farmland along the banks of creeks and streams," the advisory continued.

While heavy rainfall was expected to end by Tuesday afternoon, water run-off could continue to be a hazard, according to the advisory.

Anderson residents requiring sandbags to ward off any flooding can get both free sand and bags at the City of Anderson Corporation Yard, 2450 Barney Street, according to Anderson maintenance worker Dave Duff. The pile of sand is located opposite the location, and residents must bring their own shovel to help themselves to sandbags, Duff said.

"We're set up and ready for anything," Public Works Director Jeff Kiser said Tuesday, adding that the storm was not providing dangerous amounts of rain.

Schools in the Cottonwood Union School District reported a brief power loss of about 30 seconds before classes began on Tuesday morning. Anderson Union High School suffered few leaks in the roof that were discovered and patched Saturday and fully repaired on Tuesday. Other area schools reported no problems on Tuesday morning, and are hoped to make it through the storm without a problem.

Maghan Hunt contributed to this story