Volume 60, Issue 4
December 2011
Arcadia High School 180 Campus Drive, Arcadia, CA
Windstorms Wreak Havoc on Arcadia
In this issue:
Photo by TOMMY LIAO
PERFORMING ARTS pg. 5 Charity Dance Show: Orchesis and professional guest performers dance to give back.
Photo by LEO JIANG
SURVEYING THE DAMAGE Amazed Arcadia citizens take photos of a huge tree that obscured their street, only one of many that fell or caused severe damage in the aftermath of the windstorm. cause Homes remained crippled without power for up By HELEN CHOU Staff Writer Photo courtesy of MEDIAITE.COM
FEATURES pg. 9 Worst Gifts...Ever: Take a look at some of the most disastrous gifts given throughout history.
Photo courtesy of CCI CCI.UTK.EDU UTK EDU
STUDENT LIFE pg. 16 Diversity Week: A recap of this year’s exciting week full of fun activities and more. Have a question, comment, or concern about the Pow Wow? E-mail the Editors-in-Chief at editorsinchief@apachepowwow.com or find us online at apachepowwow.com.
On the seemingly typical afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 30, students went home after school expecting the same old routine of homework, Facebook-ing, studying, and at some point, sleep. Little did they realize the impending disaster on the horizon. That night, massive Santa Ana winds of up to 80 mph struck the majority of the San Gabriel Valley. Toppling trees and leaving thousands of homes without electricity and some without running water, it was the biggest wind storm the area has seen in over a decade. The cities of Arcadia, Alhambra, South Pasadena, Pasadena, San Marino, San Gabriel, Temple City, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, and Glendora, along with much of Los Angeles County, declared states of emergency due to the damage. Due to the large amount of debris, the local emergency command center at the Arcadia Police Station issued a statement the next day that anyone who did not need to be on the road should remain at home. As a result, all school activities were cancelled on Dec. 1, and again on Dec. 2. According to Principal David Vannasdall, “school, along with other basic city functions, was closed for the safety of the citizens to allow the police, fire trucks, and city workers to get where they needed to be.”
to a week, some even longer. According to Southern California Edison, Arcadia was hit the hardest, with nearly 36,000 customers affected since Wednesday night. The lack of electricity proved to be a greater obstacle than some had anticipated. As senior Lawrence Bai puts it, “having no power for a week was kind of a reassessment of my life. It was really a big blow because I never really realized just how much I needed electricity to do the most menial tasks like hygiene.” For those of us who have grown up with technology, the gaping hole that the lack of electricity created from the impact of the storm taught us the hard way what life without electricity is like. While the power was out, students still found alternatives to get their work done, whether it was taking advantage of Starbucks outlets or crashing at friend’s house. Junior Rita Wang, whose family had no power for six days, went “to [her] cousin’s house to do homework.” The lack of power was inconvenient, but not an obstacle that could not be surpassed. Along with the lack of power, tree debris became a road hazard throughout the city. Falling trees uprooted lawns and obstructed driveways, hindering drivers and pedestrians alike. At some locations, “the trees were so large and heavy that when they toppled, they also pulled out the concrete slab they were attached to,” noted freshman Stanley Shaw. Trees even fell onto houses, rendering seven buildings in Arcadia uninhabitable. Stanley added that those were the worst cases because “the damage they inflicted [will]
the home owner [to] pay thousands of dollars to repair their home.” Some trees directly damaged homes, knocking down basketball hoops and destroying roofs. “The shingles on part of our roof fell off, and we had to get someone to come in and fix it before it rained,” said Rita. She added, “Also I saw one of the trees in the park near Second Avenue fall into and severely damage the side house.” Whether or not students were directly affected, the ravages and impact of the wind storm affected the entire community. Amidst all the damage and destruction, the lack of electricity turned out to have an unexpected upside. For senior Annie Hsu, her entire family ended up going out “to watch The Muppets, the first movie [they watched] together since Star Wars came out.” Lawrence shares a similar story: “I definitely bonded with my family more after the event; having nothing else to do, we would just gather around for dinner and talk by candlelight.” Without electricity, families were able to enjoy each other’s company even better without the distraction of technology. The impact of the unprecedented wind storm was and will continue to be felt for weeks to come. School resumed after a mere four days, but it will take much longer for cities to recover fully from the damage. Even if Southern California will never have a “snow day”, we can at least claim that we have had a “wind day”. hchou@apachepowwow.com