Livermore Windstorm Rips Open Apartment Building, Dents Water Tank
LIVERMORE, CA – Livermore police responded to 412 inbound and outbound calls Tuesday as ferocious winds tore through the city, knocking over trees at nearly every intersection, according to city spokesperson Stephanie Egidio. The fire department responded to 36 incidents in Livermore Thursday, and the public works team received over 100 calls and responded to 70 service requests directly.
Egidio said that officers responded to approximately 100 service calls for downed trees that either blocked the roadway, fell onto a structure or vehicle, or took out power and/or utility lines. Despite the numerous calls for service, Livermore police did not receive any reports of injuries, Egidio said. The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department responded to one call for injuries from wind or debris, and another person was transported to Eden Trauma Center after their home was damaged by a fallen tree.
In one of the most notable and widely publicized events, a tree fell into the second floor of the Autumn Springs Apartments off Portola Avenue, directly into a child’s bedroom. The child was able to run out of the room just in time and was not injured, according to a KTVU report. The same tree smashed a nearby carport and some cars underneath it.
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A tree also fell onto a vehicle in the parking lot of a 24-Hour Fitness on Kitty Hawk Road, trapping an individual inside, Egidio said. The Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department responded, and the person was uninjured.
A large eucalyptus tree also dented a water tower near Sunset Park at around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, representatives from the California Water Service confirmed to Patch. Cal Water engineers took the tank out of service for precautionary reasons, but backup water storage meant that no one lost water, according to Cal Water Livermore District Manager John Freeman. Freeman told Patch that in his 36 years working for water services, he has never seen a tree dent a water tank to the point where it had to be taken out of commission. The water tank may not be ready to use again for several months, Freeman said.
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A tree also fell on Buena Vista Avenue and severed a gas line, forcing residents to be evacuated.
The winds also resulted in widespread power outages in Livermore and across the Bay Area. At the height of the storm mid-day Tuesday, over 3300 Livermore residents were without power. Power was mostly restored by Tuesday evening, and as of Thursday morning, only a few small outages are reported in the city. Next-door Pleasanton had a larger, longer outage that affected over 6,000 customers at its height, and lasted until Wednesday evening. As of Thursday morning, 534 customers in Pleasanton are still without power in locations throughout the city.
No roads are closed in the city as of Thursday morning. Public works crews worked until about midnight Tuesday to clear up debris. Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are advised to be careful along northbound Vasco Road between Garaventa Ranch Road and Dalton Avenue, where a high volume of stormwater exposed an electric conduit.
All Livermore Joint Valley Unified School District schools were open as usual on Wednesday, according to spokesperson Michelle Dawson. The district’s maintenance staff is working with a local tree service to remove downed trees and repair minor building damage.
More rain is forecast for next week. Flooding can be reported to 925-960-8100 M-F from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 925-960-8160 weekends and after hours. Downed trees can be reported to 925-960-8020 M-Th 7-3:30, and Friday from 6-2:30 p.m. Flooding and downed trees can be reported 24-7 to the LPDs non-emergency line at 925-371-4987.
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