La Cañada Flintridge and the rest of Los Angeles County was walloped by record rainfall this week, with the city receiving up to 7.36 inches of rain through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service’s four-day rainfall totals.
The city prepared for the storm by checking alerts and warnings from the NWS to provide easy sailing during the multiple days of rainfall. According to Director of Administrative Services Arabo Parseghian, the city toured and inspected the catch basins to ensure they were clear of dirt and debris and before the rain fall starts to ensure they function correctly. Sandbags were also restocked at designated locations for residents to use.
“We have our contracted services, including tree contractors, on standby, ready to dispatch if there is a need for their services,” said Parseghian. “Finally, we work on outreach campaigns to the community, letting them know of the event and how they can be prepared and avoid streets when there is a major storm going through the community.”
Parseghian told the Outlook Valley Sun that during the recent rain fall, there was one reported tree down on Berkshire Avenue.
Because of the newly enhanced public safety team in the city, officers are able to conduct more patrols to identify potential areas of concern throughout the major events, he added.
“The city’s priority with these major events is protecting life first and foremost and then property,” said Parseghian. “Taking these precautions and actively responding to major events will protect our citizens. Furthermore, our preparedness ensures we are ready should the event escalate or more resources are needed.”
During the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Councilman Michael Davitt asked the Director of Public Works Pat DeChellis how the city fared in the storm event.
“Very, very well considering the amount of rainfall that we got” said DeChellis. “We had a couple of small issues like debris, but no major incidents to report.”
During the LCUSD meeting on Tuesday, Board member Dan Jeffries thanked Superintendent Wendy Sinnette for the way school sites continued instruction.
“I think in the end, one of the things about our district that works really well is that [it] is small enough to be nimble,” said Jeffries. “Wendy was able to wait until the last minute to make a decision and communicate that effectively, and I think as much as the kids wanted a day off, in the end, you did the right thing.”
Sinnette thanked the maintenance and operation team within the district who stayed on top of cleaning gutters and checking roofs.
“We had a little bit of flooding in the district office entryway, but overall, we managed the storm pretty well,” she said.
Sgt. John Gilbert from the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station said that they worked with Caltrans and Los Angeles Public Works to inform residents about conditions and what roads are open or closed.
“Thankfully, during this series of storms, we haven’t received any calls for service related to the weather,” he said.
On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s station posted on its Facebook page to let residents know that Angeles Forest Highway is closed from Aliso Canyon Road to Angeles Crest Highway due to the snow and ice on the roadway.
On Sunday, Feb. 4, two reserve deputies and two civilian volunteers went to check out the Mount Waterman area for snow conditions. They came across a 62-year-old man walking in about four inches of snow on the side of the road. Since the snowfall rate was growing, the road was not being actively plowed or maintained by Caltrans and the team took him in and tried to warm him up. Eventually the man was transported to a local hospital.
The city reminded residents of the following safety tips for the future: use sandbags to protect your home from flooding; follow all instructions from emergency responders and emergency alert notifications; if you are unable to stay home, drive cautiously and slow down as many roadways will be wet and slippery. More resources are available at ready.lacounty.gov/rain/.
First published in the February 8 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
