Sacramento's storms wreak havoc - fallen trees and flooded roads

Biden declares emergency in California due to winter storms

Massive tree blocking the road after Sacramento's stormPhoto byCarmen Micsa

After a weekend of hard rain and heavy winds, Sacramento's residents struggle to get around massive pine, oak trees, and redwoods that block the streets.

As the rain stopped on Monday afternoon, January 9th, I went out for a run in my Carmichael neighborhood, a small town in Sacramento county close to the river, and Ancil Hoffman Park, a wonderful nature reserve and golf course.

Hardly two miles into my run, I came across a fallen tree that extended its damage and broken limbs from one end of the street to the other and from one broken fence to the next. I turned around and ran around Ancil Hoffman Park, which was closed to all car traffic. As I ran and stopped to take pictures, I noticed quite a few people walking around. I also saw that the golf course had a few ponds created by the rain, which made the ducks and geese feel at home. The main creek, swollen from the hard rains extended all the way to the golf course - its muddy brown waters digging deeper into the soft ground, saturated with water.

Swollen creek and small pond created by the heavy rains provide joy and extra waterways to the ducks and geesePhoto byCarmen Micsa

On my next stop to photograph more fallen live oak trees, I chatted with one of the maintenance guys who didn't want to share his name, but told me that he has been busy clearing up the parks and teaching younger guys how to listen for any cracks when being close to trees and large branches that can break and kill a person. He also added that he hasn't seen so much damage and devastation since 2005 when we had similar storms.

Live oaks toppled and caused road closures in Ancil Hoffman Park and other parksPhoto byCarmen Micsa

After walking around the fallen tree with caution, I continued my run to Jensen Botanical Garden, where some of the olive trees dotting the path into the park had broken branches. Besides the olive trees, there were some oak trees that collapsed, which added more work and clean-up to the Sacramento crews that have worked around the clock since these heavy storms hit the Sacramento region at the end of December 2022.

Fallen tree at the Jensen Botanical GardenPhoto byCarmen Micsa

And while the power has been restored at our house after 24 hours with no electricity, on Monday night, there were still 16K SMUD customers without power, according to KCRA news.

With more rain on the way on Tuesday and Wednesday, stay warm and safe, as mother nature has its final say at the beginning of 2023.