LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday chose to keep a local emergency in place in response to the damage communities experienced during a major windstorm late last month.
Local officials continue to work on assessing the extent of the damage from the storm, which lasted from the evening of Thursday, Nov. 21, through the morning of Friday, Nov. 22.
The storm damaged homes and businesses, as well as Northshore Fire facilities and equipment – including engines responding to emergencies that night, according to Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos.
In a 51-hour period lasting from 12:01 a.m. Nov. 21 to 3:30 a.m. Nov. 23, Lake County Central Dispatch handled 1,660 calls regarding the storm, Beristianos said, with dozens of additional walk-in reports of damaged homes and downed power lines made at Northshore Fire stations.
In addition, downed power lines caused several wildland fires along the Northshore, Beristianos said.
County Administrative Officer Matt Perry, acting as the county's director of emergency services, declared a local emergency on Nov. 22. The Board of Supervisors confirmed the declaration at a special meeting held Nov. 26, as Lake County News has reported.
On Tuesday morning, Perry and other county staff updated the board on the current situation.
“I'm not recommending that the board terminate the emergency just yet,” said Perry, adding that the county still has work to do, including repairing damage the storm did at the Holiday Harbor marina in Nice.
Community Development Director Rick Coel gave the board a brief synopsis of the damage that his department's building and safety division has found in the impacted communities.
“Most of the damage occurred in Nice,” said Coel.
In Nice alone, 126 homes lost roofing shingles and 15 homes had structural damage from falling trees. Three Upper Lake homes were damaged by trees, Coel said.
There also was damage to a lot of carports and other small structures, he said.
Coel's assessment also found that three barns in Upper Lake and a marina roof across the lake in Buckingham were damaged.
Supervisor Rob Brown asked about the policy on permits for repairs, and whether there was a waiver process to give people time to make fixes. He said he heard stories that he couldn't pin down regarding claims that the county was requiring large permit fees for repairs.
Coel said there was a “weird story” going around about the county charging $350 for an electrical permit.
He said California building code does require a permit and inspection for replacing roofs, but the county was not red-tagging people who are doing emergency repairs to the roofs of their homes.
The more immediate concerns for the county relate to the replacement of electrical meters and fixing structural damage to homes. Coel said the county wants to make sure people are getting the proper permits and that the repairs are being made correctly in order to protect homeowners.
Supervisor Jeff Smith thanked the county departments for their work. He said the county Public Works Department, in addition to dealing with emergency concerns in the unincorporated county, also assisted the city of Clearlake.
He said the county crew responded to remove a large tree that fell near Notts Liquors on Lakeshore Drive the night of storm.
Public Services Director Caroline Chavez gave the board an update on efforts to help with collecting green waste following the storm.
Initially three dumpsters were placed on the Northshore – in Upper Lake, Lucerne and Nice. Chavez said the dumpster in Upper Lake wasn't used much, nor was the one in Lucerne, but the dumpster in Nice is being heavily used.
Because there is a need for more area for green waste collection, drop offs will be accepted in a designated parking lot next to Keeling Park in Nice, she said.
Chavez said the county is renting a chipper to chip the green waste. In addition, the county has arranged for people to be able to drop off green waste at the landfill in Clearlake or the transfer station in Lakeport without cost. She said she didn't know how long it would take to collect all of the green waste.
Chavez said she also had damage at her Clearlake home, and explained that many people are waiting to meet with insurance adjusters before cleaning up.
She said Pacific Gas & Electric told her that at any one time they had 6,000 to 7,000 customers out of power as a result of the storm. “They were caught flat-footed on this thing,” she said, adding that one of the PG&E crews working near her home was from Oregon.
Chavez said that PG&E prioritized Lake County's needs, helping keep emergency traffic repeaters online and expediting repairs when one of them went offline.
Public Works Director Scott De Leon thanked the board for the kudos given to staff, which he said is on call around the clock. “We have a pretty special group of guys and gals,” he said.
In response to a letter to the editor published in the newspaper criticizing the road department for not doing more clean up on private property, De Leon said he's unable to do such cleanup on private land due to liability issues and lack of authority.
He said virtually every road department employee was working on the Northshore during the storm, and he assured the board that roads and public property will be cleared.
Chavez said a tree fell on the restroom at Keeling Park, and she was concerned about other damaged trees around the Northshore. “There are potentially widow makers out there all over the place,” she said, adding that it will take time to assess those trees.
Smith said it was probably the worst wind he'd ever seen. He said it was amazing to see one- to five-acre areas of the lake where the water was blown off the surface. Supervisor Denise Rushing said she saw whirlwinds in her Upper Lake orchard.
The Northshore Business Association is coordinating volunteer efforts for cleanup and also seeking information about people who need assistance. The association's disaster hotline is 707-739-6661; more information also can be found at the group's Web site, http://www.northshorebusinessassociation.com/ .
Hammers for Hope also is offering assistance with making repairs for seniors; that organization can be contacted at 707-349-2628.
An update on the latest damage assessment in Clearlake wasn't available on Tuesday. However, the city reported that it is seeking damage reports from community members.
Property owners who experienced damage to their properties are encouraged to report it to either Public Works Director Doug Herren at
Damage reports need to include actual property damage and estimated costs for repairs, and should include address and parcel number.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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