Last night’s fierce winds wrecked havoc with our local trees and caused power outages in Windsor Village, Brookside, Longwood Highlands and Fremont Place. The power went out around 9 p.m. and returned for many residents in the affected areas around 4 a.m., though there were still some neighbors who reported no power.
According to LADWP as of 10:45 a.m. today, the number of customers without power is down to 29,000 out of 1.5 million customers served by LADWP. Since the start of high winds, crews have restored power to more than 20,000 customers. The utility estimated the number of customers affected by wind-related outages peaked at 49,000 overnight. The National Weather Service reported winds over 50 mph in the Mid-Wilshire area.
Thankfully, the winds have subsided, making for better working conditions for LADWP crews out in the field. But the utility continues to receive new reports of downed power lines and other wind-related outages that occurred overnight and went unnoticed or unreported until this morning. Winds are expected to diminish throughout the week, but it will still be breezy.
“Due to the high number of outages requiring repairs, customers should plan to be without power for up to 24 hours, from the start of their outage. While some outages will take less time to restore, others could take longer due to the complexity of repairs. Our crews will work around the clock until every customer has their power back on. Most affected neighborhoods are in the “Metro” portions of LA, located south of the Hollywood Hills. Currently, communities most affected by the outages include portions of South LA, Mar Vista, Mid-Wilshire, East-Hollywood, Hyde Park, Green Meadows and Koreatown,” according to a press statement on the LADWP website.
Customers experiencing an outage should report it online at www.ladwp.com/outages from a desktop computer or mobile device. They can also call 1800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397). LADWP warns that if you see downed wires, assume they are live, stay clear and call 911 immediately.
Downed Trees
We regret to report that a number of our already beleaguered street trees were damaged in heavy winds. Mother Nature was out in full force last night and unfortunately several spectacular specimens were toppled last night. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and photos with us.
A very large, 70-foot pine tree fell on Irving Blvd. just after 9 p.m. last night. Fortunately, the massive tree missed the house and their car parked nearby.
“It was a loud thundering sound that lasted for several seconds,” Larchmont Village resident Elizabeth Leonard told the Buzz. “It was a fairly dramatic noise that rose above the sounds of the wind gusts.”
Another Pine tree fell in Hancock Park, also fortunately falling away from the home so no one was injured. Workers were on the scene this morning cutting up the tree, chipping it, turning the damaged tree into chips that get recycled by the city for use in mulch give-away programs and civic plantings. If you have a downed tree or limb, please report it to 311. The city will respond fairly quickly to remove any trees that are blocking the right of way or present and immediate danger (though it usually takeslonger to remove the remaining stump or part of the tree that is not considered imminently dangerous).
According to Paul Gomez, spokesman for the Department of Public Works, the storm generated 350 service requests, which is considered a medium-sized event.
“This is not an overwhelming event,” said Gomez. “On a typical day, the Bureau of Street Services gets between 30-40 requests. We will do our best to get to each request within 24 hours.”
Fortunately, many trees were spared, though there’s lots of other debris for the city to pick up and mulch. Nearby, Windsor Village’s Harold Henry Park is full of debris…but thankfully, no trees came down.
“We had same outage hours but no major damage thankfully,” reported Buzz founder Julie Grist. “A few tree limbs down. But even the park, where we often lose a eucalyptus in big winds, seemed to survive intact. It certainly was a big blower.”
This story was update to correct the time the Pine tree fell on Irving Blvd.
