March 22, 2005 Another tree came down a day after the big Madrone closed off Park. This time, it's up Valley View a ways and appears to be an Oak. The Power immediately went out to residents above the downed lines (930 Valley View and up). Then at around 9:00 PM, the power went out to residents below as well. The tree completely blocked the road and took out the lines. This time, the residents above have no way to get out until the tree is removed. The only escape route they would have had was the old Coon Heights access road which collapsed during logging a few years ago and was never repaired. Resident Michael Saunders said, "It is interesting to note that we have had upwards of 61 inches of rain in our area." Saunders keeps track of such things with a home gauge. [ more photos here ] Update: The power was restored in the wee hours of the morning. It was on for a solid few moments before the tree NEXT to the tree you see above fell over. [ This one ]
Lomond Terrace is Minus One Madrone Longtime resident Heather MacCurdy was one of the first to discover the downed tree. In an e-mail Heather explained, "I went to work this morning at 12:45 a.m. and that tree was down. It was dark and rainy. I was terrified backing up the hill, all the way to the corner since that is the only turnaround. Backing up, my car was putting out so much exhaust the cloud of it blocked my view. I was so shook up I decided I couldn't attempt the alternate route, because I get lost so often using it. I wonder if we can better mark that route somehow." [note: Resident Vicki Leisses later added detour signs, thanks Vicki] Heather added, "I wonder if newer people even KNOW we have an alternate route? " Indeed, for many residents, this was their first experience with the emergency access road. It was suggested an emergency map along with other safety procedures be produced and made available from this site.
Emergency Access Road Used
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