A huge THANK YOU to those working diligently to keep everyone safe! In addition to a bomb cyclone, it appears we have a new term “Extreme Weather Impact”. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) “The strongest storm of the series will bring yet another round of heavy rain on already flooded rivers and saturated soils, high winds that may topple trees and power lines, and heavy snow on top of an enormous snowpack. Mudslides, flooding, rapid rises on rivers, and flash flood and debris flows on burn scars; and avalanches and infrastructure impacts become even more likely with this storm.“ Although the forecast if for the Sacramento area, it's similar for the Central Valley, North Coast and much of the Central Coast. Currently, flood warnings are in place through the 11th. We're in for a few interesting days. If your office suffers from the inclement weather please notify Brian Oatman, Director of Risk and Safety Services. Brian and the team have done yeoman's work managing through all things Covid and now a precedent setting series of winter storms. Thank you for all your efforts!
The news is filled with photos and stories of people who chose to ignore posted flooded signs and became stranded or worse yet, died. Please heed danger/warning signs. Also, be careful when you're driving in the dark in low areas or when it's raining. Although I remember some very wet, flooded days in Woodland and Davis this storm series has the potential to top those events. Be safe! Another THANK YOU for all ANR employees at RECs who are managing through the storms and shoring up during the dry periods. We appreciate all your efforts to keep the research project afloat.
I stopped in at UC Davis Sunday. Similar to other parts of California, uprooted trees lay in disarray from last Tuesday. Irrigation plumbing and lighting were damaged as well. Think of what those trees know about the formation of campus from the days of Emil Mrak to today. It's sad to see these trees toppled. Imagine the sound of such an event! For anyone who has been around a tree of this size falling, you certainly know it's not a quiet activity. The good news is no one was injured in the process.
Given the expected high winds it's worth carefully analyzing parking opportunities near trees over the next many days. Keep in mind all broken branches have not made it to the ground. Do pay attention to disconnected branches when parking!
A message from the portal: Project Board is back online for anyone who previously accepted a Microsoft invite. If you have not accepted, you will receive an invite on Jan. 9th from invites@microsoft.com; please accept! Double check junk mail if you didn't see your invitation.
Hopefully everyone working remotely has electricity and connectivity. Let's see how the week turns out.