Cities prep for storm as high winds expected

With plenty of water getting dumped across the Central Coast on Wednesday, public works departments are staying busy keeping their cities free of debris and flooding.

While plenty of streets were drenched across the region, in south Salinas, one roadway was getting a little too drenched.

“That puddle…if it rains even half an inch, that puddle appears,” said Jennifer Orazio, a Salinas resident referring to a pool of water in front of her home. “A bunch of mud gathers there too and I can’t even…it’s like driving through a lake just to pull my car into my drive way or my garage.”

It is just what happens when it rains in that south Salinas neighborhood around Clay and Riker Streets.

“Living on a busy street, it does flood a little bit,” said David Farr, another Salinas resident living in that area.

“We tend to flood in the downtown where the pipes are the oldest and the ground is the flattest. So that was normal today,” said Don Reynolds, the assistant public works director in Salinas.

Reynolds said the pubic works department did not see too much action on Wednesday in terms of emergencies, but they have been preparing.

“We spend a good part between August and the first flush getting ready, trimming trees, cleaning our storm drains and getting ready for the rainy season,” he said.

Salinas’ urban forestry crew is on-call 24/7 and Reynolds said they are always ready to help just like back in Feb. 2017 when several trees were uprooted after a major wind storm hit the city.

“What can we do. It’s always preparing, that’s the best that we can do,” said Farr.

The city does not anticipate it being that bad this time around. In fact, Reynolds said the rain on Wednesday came at a gentle pace, giving the city enough time to recover before the next round.

But Orazio said more needs to be done on her road.

“I think the city needs to put a drain there, so that the rain goes down the drain,” she said.