Santa Ana Winds Take Down Trees, Power Lines At 2 Schools In Riverside
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) — Strong winds took down trees at two campuses Wednesday in Riverside.
Gusts of up to 70 mph capable of blowing down trees and power lines were forecast for much of the Inland Empire Wednesday into Thursday.
The wind apparently snapped a 50-year-old pine tree and brought it down onto a dormitory at California Baptist University in Riverside. The top of the tree came down on the second floor of Building 22, then onto the lawn behind the dorm, right next to its jagged trunk. Just three people were in the building when the tree fell on it, according to the Riverside Fire Department.
But Megan Lansing, a junior and nursing student at the university, said she saw the tree go down as if it were in slow motion.
"I heard it and it was still standing. And then I saw it tilt over, and I was like, 'Oh my God!'" she said.
Staff from the city's building department were sent out to inspect the dormitory. Seventeen students were displaced, and university officials said they will house them in other dorms or hotels, and accommodate their class schedules. No injuries were reported.
Less than a mile away, two more giant trees were uprooted at Chemawa Middle School. Parts of Magnolia Street were shut down due to the downed trees. But because children were in class when the trees fell, no injuries were reported.
Power lines were also reported down near the school.
