Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Costa Mesa Prepares For Stormy Weather

UH-OH... IT'S GOING TO RAIN!
Today the City of Costa Mesa issued the following release regarding preparations for any possible problems associated with the anticipated severe rainy weather later this week.

City prepares for winter rain storm
Posted Date: 2/25/2014
 
In anticipation of a major rain storm predicted to hit Friday, the City of Costa Mesa is making free sandbags available to residents and putting emergency crews on standby to deal with any flooding, downed trees, inoperable traffic lights or other weather-related issues.

"We don't anticipate any major problems, but we want to be ready just in case," City CEO Tom Hatch said.

The city's Public Services Department will have crews clear out the catch basins of storm drains Wednesday and Thursday, and schedule emergency personnel to be on standby Friday and Saturday. The Costa Mesa Fire Department will have an additional four firefighters on duty Friday and Saturday.

Costa Mesa residents can fill up to 15 sandbags for free (shovels provided) at the Placentia Fire Station at 2300 Placentia Ave.

  • As a reminder, if we DO get the rain predicted, don't drive if you don't have to.  If you do venture out, DO NOT cross deep standing water!
  • Drive with special care - the oil will percolate up from the streets during the first big rain, making the surface especially slick .
  • Heavy rain will affect your visibility and those of drivers around you.  Stay alert! 
  • Give plenty of space between you and other drivers.
  • Be courteous about not splashing other cars and pedestrians  as you drive through puddles. 
  • Be sure you have operating flashlights in your home and cars, just in case the storm results in power outages.
  • Be careful out there!

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Tom Egan said...

Speaking of rain after a long dry spell, this may not be news to you all, but just in case you’ve wondered what that pleasant, distinctive smell is at the first few drops of rain …

There’s a name for it, as well as known chemistry. According to Wikipedia,

Petrichor is the scent of rain on dry earth, or the scent of dust after rain. The word is constructed from Greek, petros, meaning stone + ichor, the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology. It is defined as "the distinctive scent which accompanies the first rain after a long warm dry spell".

The term was coined in 1964 by two Australian researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the journal Nature. In the article, the authors describe how the smell derives from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is absorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, a metabolic by-product of certain Actinobacteria, which is emitted by wet soil, producing the distinctive scent; ozone may also be present if there is lightning.

You’re welcome.

2/25/2014 09:45:00 PM  
Blogger kwahlf said...

Thanks, Geoff for a great public service announcement.

Tom, that's very interesting.
Thanks for the information.

Be careful out there, people.
If you have to drive in the rain,
SLOW DOWN, please!
It's better to arrive late than
never arrive at all.

2/26/2014 11:02:00 AM  

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