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SAANICHNEWS Friday, October 4, 2013
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Cedar Hill golf course staff member Ian Smith cuts branches from an oak tree on Tuesday that fell on the chip trail near the fairway for hole No. 3.
Sharon Tiffin/News staff
Saanich cleans up after early winter storm Record rain, wind falls trees, floods roads Edward Hill News staff
Last weekend’s winter storm snapped at least 21 trees across Saanich, but its likely more are snagged and remain a danger in parks and on private land. Saanich parks manager Rae Roer said six trees on private property and 15 on public land went down, with their trunks either snapping or roots pulled from the earth. Another 30 calls came in about branches blocking roads and hitting power lines.
A lone resident reported that a tree damaged their shed, but otherwise the municipality suffered little property damage. “It’s been a busy time for our guys going out in the torrential rain, but they’re happy to see the sunshine (Tuesday) and to get caught up,” Roer said. “But we expect to get a flurry of calls (about trees) from people getting out into the parks and trails again.” People walking in forested areas need to be mindful of half-fallen trees caught in branches and are asked to report trees to Saanich parks that could be a hazard. Waterfront neighbourhoods of Cordova Bay, Gordon Head and Ten Mile Point suffered the most wind damage, but Roer said calls came from across the municipality.
“It was a substantial event. It came early in the year,” Roer said. “We always get some challenges in the winter, but in terms of storms this was a good one. Hopefully this is it for the year.” Saanich public works manager Mike Ippen said at least 70 roadways experienced flooding on Monday due to debris blocking stormwater catch basins. Water flooded a few basements, but the pools mainly formed on roadways around plugged drains, he said. "There was a lot of rain in south Saanich on Monday. Most of the calls came from that," Ippen said. "(The storm) wasn't that big, but it was a lot of rain in a short period of time."
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The weekend storm dumped the most rain recorded in Saanich for the past eight or nine years. The weather station at Colquitz middle school registered 40 mm of rain on Sunday, a record for September since measurements began in 2006. Monday saw 30 mm of rain, which at times hit 10 mm per hour and wind hit gusts of 70 km/h. Saanich homeowners with damaged or dangerous trees due to the storm should check out saanich.ca/parkrec/parks/trees/ storms.html. Residents who see danger trees can call Saanich parks at 250-475-5522 or CRD parks 250-478-3344 for regional parks. editor@saanichnews.com
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