|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Multiple fallen trees and power outages were reported after high winds and heavy rain took a hit on areas of Woodside and Portola Valley. Over 200 residents around Highway 84 and 35 are currently out of power.
Outages were reported as early as 7:55 p.m. on Dec. 23 for homes near Highway 84 in unincorporated Woodside with certain areas expected to have power return around 5 p.m., according to PG&E. Other neighborhoods nearby Highway 35 lost power overnight around 1:26 a.m. and have not received an estimated restoration time from PG&E.
At 4:50 a.m., the California Department of Transportation received an alert about a fallen tree near Four Corners at Highway 35 and 84 that had blocked all lanes for 90 minutes, said Caltrans spokesperson Jeneane Crawford. The area was reopened at about 5:30 a.m., she added.
Caltrans also announced at 10:27 a.m. that Highway 84 is currently closed for storm-related maintenance between Portola Road and Skywood Way. There is no estimated time for reopening, according to the department.
Woodside Town Manager Jason Ledbetter shared that “the town received one call from (San Mateo County) dispatch around 4 a.m. this morning for a downed tree at La Honda Road and Skywood Way. The town’s public works team responded and cleared the tree around 6 a.m.”
“The town has free sand and bags at town hall and continues to respond to calls for service for road safety to clear drains and remove debris from the roadway,” he said. “The town had a crew of 3 out this morning from about 4 a.m.-12 p.m. clearing culverts and debris.”
Downed trees were also cleared this morning at the intersection of Skyline Boulevard and Alpine Road near Page Mill Road. Last night, a tree was cleared near Portola Road and Old La Honda Road in Woodside.
Woodside Fire Protection District responded to a flood at Windmill School in Portola Valley at around noon. Every classroom was flooded with an inch of rainwater, said Executive Director Sue Krishna, who received a call around 9:30 a.m. from the school’s cleaners that the entire building was flooded.
For two hours, firefighters helped sweep the water outside of classrooms. The school is also utilizing the services of damage restoration company Servpro for cleaning and water damage. Sand bags were being placed across the school as the Peninsula braves another storm this evening.
Krishna told The Almanac that nothing was severely damaged but the staff will be spending the remaining days of winter break to tidy up. Students are returning to school on Jan. 5, 2026, she said.
“We will make sure everything is back to normal when they come back,” said Krishna.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
