In the first two days of December, unusually strong Santa Ana winds have brought extensive tree damage and large power outages to the South of California.
A state of emergency has been declared in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles Department of Power and Water reported that 87,000 customers lost power at the peak of the storm. Power failure at Los Angeles International Airport resulted in flight delays, while debris on runways resulted in flight diversions.
“As of this morning, South California Edison reported that 300 households are still without power,” said Margaret Joseph, catastrophe response analyst at RMS. “Downed trees have been a noticeable feature of the storm across the region, and Griffith Park – one of the largest urban parks in the U.S. – closed as a result of fallen trees and debris.”
In Los Angeles, the foothill cities in the northern San Gabriel Valley were hardest hit by the winds. A local state of emergency has been declared in the city of Pasadena, where 46 housing units have been red-tagged (40 of which are in the same apartment buildings) as a result of damage. A city statement reports that approximately 600 trees have fallen, or were damaged.
According to the National Weather Service, Santa Ana winds are forecast to affect Los Angeles County and Ventura County in California on Monday and Tuesday, bringing potentially damaging wind gusts to the Los Angeles and Ventura County Mountains, the Santa Clarita Valley, and the Santa Monica Mountains.
Source : RMS
