Rain-battered Saratoga declares a state of emergency during latest week of storms
SARATOGA -- The city of Saratoga recently declared a state of emergency because of all the damage from recent storms, hoping to streamline the process of getting supplies and requesting financial help from state and federal governments.
The Santa Clara County city that prides itself on its trees is now scrambling to cover the cost of cleaning up all the ones that have fallen in the storms that have slammed the region since late December.
City officials declared the state of emergency during a special council session Monday night. The declaration will allow the city access to FEMA funding to help with cleanup efforts.
"Now every time we get a storm like this and the wind picks up, we all think about it," said Saratoga resident Daryl Huff as he looks out over the remaining eucalyptus trees at the entrance to his neighborhood.
"You get a combination of saturated ground and high winds and they're just going to get knocked over," he explained.
Huff is one of the more than 40 homes in the Allendale neighborhood of Saratoga that lost power for five days after four massive eucalyptus trees fell in the storms a week ago. The trees took down power lines and blocked the only road in and out of their dead end street.
"We all love the trees except when they're a danger to us," he said.
The city of Saratoga is known as a "Tree City" for its urban canopy and has even won national awards for its tree programs. It's those very trees that are costing the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove after months of strong storms and winds.
"Just these past two storm events, I think that John gave me an estimate today that we're climbing above $200,000," said City Manager James Lindsay during the council meeting.
Immediately after Lindsay's comments during the meeting on Monday, the council voted to approve a state of emergency declaration. That allows the city to receive funding from FEMA to pay for tree damage. Something not all residents agree with.
"I think it's a little ridiculous. I think that they should be in charge of the trees they planted and the service they provided to our community. Now it's falling down around us," said Clark Torres as he and a friend were taking pictures of storm damage at Wildwood Park.
While over in the Allendale neighborhood, Daryl thinks more needs to be done on the city's part to maintain the existing tree canopy.
"We all want the trees, to some extent we like these eucalyptus trees, but not when they endanger us," he said.
This is the second state of emergency the city of Saratoga has declared since the storms started at the beginning of the year. The city estimates the total damage could be more than half a million dollars.