GILROY
– School children and a driver were trapped in their bus this
morning when it drove into a live 2,000-volt electric wire downed
from the the season’s first storm on Redwood Retreat Road.
Gilroy Unified School District driver Mariann Rojas had just
picked up two children in a small school bus and was driving back
down the road when the incident happened.
GILROY – School children and a driver were trapped in their bus this morning when it drove into a live 2,000-volt electric wire downed from the the season’s first storm on Redwood Retreat Road.
Gilroy Unified School District driver Mariann Rojas had just picked up two children in a small school bus and was driving back down the road when the incident happened.
“A big oak tree, about 20 to 24 feet around, fell across Redwood Retreat Road,” said Paul Trenholm, captain of the Hecker Pass station for the South Santa Clara County Fire District. Rojas did not see the electric wire and drove into it, he said.
The driver had a dispatch radio and called for help, and the fire crew came.
“We pretty much sat there and yelled at them to stay in the bus,” Trenholm said.
Pacific Gas and Electric and a road crew were called to cut the wires and clear the road, he said. The children were then taken back to their homes. They had been in the bus for about 20 minutes.
“I’m sure it must have been pretty exciting to be in the bus, and people yelling at you to stay in the bus,” he said.
The area felt the effects of the season’s first storm, such as fallen branches, downed electric wires, leaky roofs and minor traffic accidents.
The Chestnut Street fire station reported 13 calls last night relating to minor traffic accidents and fallen wires, Capt. Clay Bentson said.
“This is a personal record in (my) 21 years,” he said. “I’ve never run 13 calls even in the earthquakes and the great freeze.”
A minor traffic accident relating to the wet weather occurred at Monterey and Old Gilroy streets at 8:21 p.m. Thursday, he said.
Several power lines went down throughout the city, including one at Third and Miller streets. Wires blown by gusts of wind arced on Alexander Street, and the neon sign of the Sunrise Cafe on Monterey Road also arced but no major damage was done, he said.
Several trees came down on Carmel and Fourth streets, partially blocking the street, he said.
Gilroy High School had some roofs leaking, said Greg Camacho-Light, assistant principal and director of facilities. Seven classes in four buildings had some “major” damage in terms of the amount of water on the carpets, he said.
A tree also fell over on one of the high school’s entrance gates at Princevalle Street. A custodian saw it at 6 a.m. The high school’s parking lots were flooded but the drains were later cleared and the water receded, Camacho-Light said.
“When it rains like this, it really tells you how old your facility is,” he said.
California Highway Patrol spokesperson Terry Mayes said there were no major incidents on the roads last night, with only a few vehicles spinning out of control due to the wet asphalt and landing in the center divider. “Today, people really need to be cautious,” she said. “It only takes an instant to get into an accident. Take it slow. Better to get there late than not at all.”
She recommends drivers apply their brakes slowly and not make sudden stops or they will slide on the slick roads. Tires should be properly inflated and have good treads for wet-weather driving. Drivers also should turn their headlights on to make sure they can be seen.
“As the rains strikes the road and it looks like it’s dimpling, it’s probably a puddle there and they (drivers) can start hydroplaning,” she said.
The City of Gilroy reported no injuries or significant damage from the storm, but maintenance crew members cleared several downed tree branches and clogged storm drains, said Joe Kline, public information officer for Gilroy. Leaves plug the drains and maintenance crews are called to remove the leaves so water can drain away, he said.
Intersections which are problem areas for drainage include Church and First streets, Louis and Railroad, and the Princevalle and 10th street intersection, he said.
“This is localized, limited to intersections,” he said. “The drain can’t hold the volume.”
The city is making free sandbags available to residents concerned about flooding this winter, he said. The bags are available at the Chestnut Street fire station at 7070 Chestnut St.
“We’re not at all anticipating flooding with the creeks right now,” he said.
Diana Henderson, forecaster for the National Weather Service’s Monterey office, said the area received gusts of up to 30 mph last night, and should see the same this afternoon and tonight as the storm continues. As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Gilroy received half an inch of rain. No data was available for last night’s rainfall as of Friday morning, she said.
The hill region of South Valley saw lightning last night, and there’s a slight chance for this evening to have the same, she said. One observer on the Summit of Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains reported six inches of rain, she said.
Saturday should be partly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of rain, she said.
