Trees fall in Modesto, taking out power lines. One outage may be all day. Here’s whom to call
Weather is taking down trees and power lines across Modesto.
A high-wind warning is in effect through Tuesday night. The Modesto Irrigation District’s weather page shows winds of up to 17 mph, and the National Weather Service forecast page for Modesto showed at 11 a.m. a southeast wind of 20 mph.
But anyone who’s gone outside, looked outside or listened to what’s going on outside knows gusts have been a lot higher.
And we know what the combination of high winds and wet soil typically means: toppled trees, broken trunks or limbs, and downed power poles or lines.
Just after 10:30 a.m., the Modesto Fire Department reported that a large tree fell on power lines in the area of Oakdale Road and Scenic Drive. The Modesto Irrigation District had reported the incident minutes earlier, saying the resulting power failure affected the neighborhood between Rose Avenue, Wylie Drive, Scenic Drive and Oakdale Road.
“It is expected to take 8 hours to restore power in this area. Our crews are working as quickly and safely as possible,” an MID post on Facebook said.
The city of Modesto forestry division reported that as of 11 a.m., it had received 15 calls from residents having tree trouble.
What should you do and whom should you call about downed trees and power lines?
First of all, if you are driving and see lines fall near you, stay in your vehicle, if possible, and call 911, Deputy Fire Chief Darin Jesberg said.
And in case this isn’t obvious, if you’re at home and see lines fall outside, stay indoors and call 911 even before calling your service provider.
In Modesto, call 209-342-2253 for tree emergencies and 209-342-2297 to report traffic signal or streetlight outages.
Call the Modesto Irrigation District at 209-526-7337 to report downed power lines and power failures. Turlock Irrigation District customers can call TID’s 24-hour service line at 209-883-8301 to report downed power lines and power failures.
This story was originally published March 14, 2023 at 11:47 AM.
