Saturday's Powerful Winds Wreak Havoc In Claremont, Across Foothill Areas
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Friday night's powerful winds caused a lot of damage in the foothill areas, especially in Claremont.
There, the strong gusts knocked down powerlines and hundreds of trees across the city.
The trees fell atop of homes, businesses and cars. There were also many near-misses.
A troublesome sight for residents in the area.
"Overwhelmed, you know and disappointed to lose a beautiful pine tree that was probably close to 75 feet tall and who knows how old it is and frankly a bit frustrated with trying to figure out how to handle it and remove it…," Michael Simon told CBSLA Reporter Brittany Hopper.
City crews worked non-stop clearing the streets as neighbors cleaned up yards. Some of the downed trees blocked as many as eight major roads.
"If you know vulnerable residents in the city, please call dispatch. Please call our dispatch line. We have resources at our disposal to make that everybody, even those without power, have access to water, food and light sources," said Claremont Mayor Jay Leano.
The mayor said the city planned to open up a building Sunday to allow residents without power an opportunity to charge their electronic devices.
There are no estimates on damage totals at this moment but all signs point towards them being extensive. Mayor Leano said the city council will vote on an emergency declaration this week, which if passed would free up funds to help pay for the cleanup.
Thousands of people also lost power and still remain without it.
Southern California Edison announced that as of 6:30 p.m. Sunday, more 28,000 residents are currently dealing with service interruptions due to the damage caused by the high winds.
