Winds topple trees as rain floods major intersections
By: Tamara Barak Aparton
Examiner Staff Writer
October 13, 2009
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| (Examiner file photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Heavy winds tore down trees as incessant rain flooded neighborhoods throughout San Francisco Tuesday.
In a significant incident, a cyclist’s front wheel was damaged by a towering tree that snapped at its roots at Haight and Broderick streets. The tree landed on a parked car. Department of Public Works spokeswoman Christine Falvey said. DPW’s urban forestry crew, which will work late into the night, is assessing the damage.
By 11:15 a.m., DPW had received 40 calls for tree issues, most for hanging tree limbs, Falvey said. DPW is responsible for maintaining only 40,000 of San Francisco’s estimated 130,000 trees, Falvey said. The rest belong to private property owners.
“We really encourage people to hire a certified arborist and trim their trees year-round to avoid falling branches,” she said.
At The City’s 311 information line, calls were up 26 percent, Call Center Manager Kevin Dyer said.
“We’ve had numerous storm-related calls about localized flooding, sand bags, downed power lines and trees. Muni-related calls are going up as well,” Dyer said. Among the Muni-related problems reported were a delayed light rail vehicle and a derailment in the Muni yard, he said.
While flooding was reported across The City, the most serious incidents were located at 26th and Cabrillo streets in the Outer Richmond, and Fell and Baker streets near Panhandle, according to Falvey.
DPW crews were dispatched to clear the catch basins in those areas.
