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Published on 02/09/1998 All articles from this issue

A salute to Los Altos 'storm troopers'

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That big whopper of a storm that hit the Los Altos-Los Altos Hills area hard Feb. 2-3, as it did all over Northern California, could have inflicted a lot worse damage in our area, were it not for the quick response and hard work of City of Los Altos crews.

Public works people and police officers worked through the stormy night removing fallen trees and other debris, and unclogging drains to prevent additional flooding.

By the time traffic started to flow onto Los Altos-area streets on the morning of Feb. 3, virtually all the debris blocking roads had been removed.

It's not often that these folks who tramp through the rushing water and the mud to do this "dirty work" are really commended for what they do. We commend them here.

Facing the worst flooding he's seen in 29 years on the job, public works director Bruce Bane and his crew had to deal with overflowing Adobe Creek and flooding at Shoup Park and Redwood Grove. Fallen trees were everywhere, the most notable being the large 150-200-year-old oak at the History House Museum.

Los Altos police also were doing their part, handling traffic control. One officer opened a gate in back of the Woodland Library to prevent overflowing into the back yards of nearby homes.

Carol Tefft, the head librarian and a 37-year library employee, helped out in the middle of the night by setting up sandbags around Woodland Library to prevent the flood damage from getting any worse. The library will be closed up to eight weeks, but it could have been worse without the quick response.

Public works supervisor Brian McCarthy and all 23 members of the Los Altos field crew were working during crucial times of the storm, and some labored from 10 p.m. Feb. 2 until 3:30 p.m. the next day. Because of their efforts, Foothill Expressway, which was flooded and filled with tree debris, was open by 6 a.m. Feb. 3. Los Altos crews also joined with nearby cities to deal with the backed-up sewage treatment plant in Palo Alto.

One thing residents can do to help solve a muddy problem is to refrain from dumping storm water into the sanitary sewer system. Apparently, some have been draining water into manholes, and even leaving the covers off, McCarthy said.

With all the havoc that has occurred elsewhere, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills have been spared heavy damage thus far. We have our local crews to thank for that.