January 13, 2006

Party Crasher

Mother Nature rings in New Year with a roar

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

On New year's Day at about 2 p.m., this tree came crashing down and into a neighboring home on McLaughlin Avenue in San Jose. Tree removal crews braved stormy weather on Jan. 2 to remove the tree, which crashed through part of the home's roof. Photos by Diego Abeloos

While 2005 ended with the traditional countdown, cheers and toasts, Mother Nature crashed Saturday’s New Year festivities in ways only she could, leaving Bay Area residents cleaning up after her and making the national news.

Record rainfall from a warm “Pineapple Express” series of storms resulted in a number of problems, including a breeched Solano County Levee on the Sacramento River, mudslides from Santa Rosa to Santa Cruz, and an overflowing Russian River that left Napa and Guerneville residents flooded out of their homes.

In San Jose, residents awoke on New Year’s Day to uprooted trees, fallen fences, and downed power lines following the latest storm that brought with it high winds and recorded 60-70 mph gusts.

The New Year may have gotten off to a roaring start while Mother Nature tested our handiwork, but she couldn’t crush the spirit of goodwill in Evergreen. At the end of the day, many found themselves rallying to the aid of neighbors with chainsaws in hand—assisting with fallen trees that left roads impassable and homeowners trapped.

A tree damaged by a New Year weekend storm tilts toward Aborn Road, near the San Marino Apartment complex in Evergreen. A closer look reveals large sections of the tree broken off by strong gusts of wind and continuous rain throughout the weekend.	Evergreen resident, Mick Stearns, returned after a holiday trip to find that the 50-year-old tree in his back yard had fallen on his prized fern. Photo by Dona Nichols