Peninsula coastal towns battered by winds, toppling trees and cutting power
HALF MOON BAY -- Pouring rain and gusty winds caused major problems Wednesday for the coastal towns of Half Moon Bay, El Granada, and Moss Beach in San Mateo County.
Coastside Fire District firefighters said El Granada and Moss Beach dealt with many downed trees and power lines. Many parts of those two towns lost power overnight.
A fallen tree here in El Granada blocks a street off of Hwy 1.
— Shawn Chitnis (@shawnchitnis) January 5, 2023
Thankfully this tree just missed a house on the other side of the road. #KPIX #CAWx #StormDamage pic.twitter.com/Qd6fB3GPeO
There were so many fallen trees in El Granada, workers used bulldozers to quickly move them out of roadways if no power lines were involved.
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"We've had numerous trees down, we had numerous power lines down as well as communication lines down," said Battalion Chief Brian Pottenger with Coastside Fire District. "A lot of the trees were already unstable and with the winds we're seeing now, doesn't take much to topple these trees over."
We’re getting our first look at storm damage in San Mateo County on the coast. Our firefighters were responding to non-stop calls until the early morning hours. #CaWx pic.twitter.com/Vfm9nAC7ZW
— CAL FIRE CZU (@CALFIRECZU) January 5, 2023
There were multiple reports of fallen trees on Isabella Road, Avenue Portola, and The Alameda in El Granada. Residents in the area said they were staying home to stay safe.
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"They're very intense, the rain is really intense. I think, again, we just have to be careful and vigilant and make sure we are taking precautions to stay safe," said Jonathan Urena of Half Moon Bay.
Not far from Urena's back yard, a large cypress tree toppled over around 2 p.m. Wednesday afternoon on Suzanne Court in Half Moon Bay. The base was about 10 to 15 feet in diameter. It was about 50 to 60 feet tall. The tree was surrounded by apartments and townhomes. Luckily, it landed in a courtyard and no one was hurt in that incident.