Santa Maria weathers the storm, no major issues reported on Tuesday
SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- The City of Santa Maria and surrounding area appears to be weathering the current rainstorm that has given a good drenching to the Central Coast the past two days.
As of late Tuesday morning, only a few minors issues have been reported by the Santa Maria officials, along with local law enforcement.
"Santa Maria is holding up really welL," said Mark van de Kamp, Santa Maria Public Information Manager. "We've had just a few isolated incidents, some minor street flooding with leaves clogging up the gutters."
Residents woke up on Tuesday to rainfall throughout the region, which caused a wet and slippery drive to work for commuters.
A handful of accidents were reported by California Highway Patrol, including a car that hydroplaned around the Santa Maria River Bridge.
"A vehicle spun around northbound the river bridge and by the time our officers got there, it must have corrected itself and driven off the freeway," said Officer Maria Barrigan, California Highway Patrol Public Information Officer. "Today in our area is a little bit better than yesterday. Yesterday we did have quite a few collisions and today it seems that people are slowing down, maybe driving with a little more caution."
A two-car collision was also reported in Santa Maria after 11 a.m. on E. Main Street. No injuries were reported.
The most significant incident to occur during the morning was the closure of several roads around Minami Park in Santa Maria due to downed power lines.
"Late Monday night, around 11:30 p.m., a pickup truck crashed into a PG&E power pole carrying 70,000 volts," said van de Kamp. "Lines down near Enos and Depot. The driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI, had minor injuries, but could have been worse."
Depot Street was closed from Stowell Road to Battles Road, while Enos Drive was closed from Curryer Street to Depot Street.
The downed lines were caused by a late-night collision by pickup truck into a power pole near Enos and Depot. The driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
PG&E crews quickly responded to the area and the roadways were able to reopen in a short period of time.
Only minor flooding has been reported throughout the area.
The intersection of Stowell Road and Black Road, which frequently is closed due to flooding during periods of heavy rain has remained open.
"Black Road did stay open," said van de Kamp. "With a little shovel work very early this morning, we were able to keep Black Road open, which is great for some of the big agricultural operations and their employees."
With rain coming down throughout the day, drainage basins, such as the ones at Crossroads Open Space and the Adam Basin, which both serve as sports fields, are filling up.
"All of our drainage basins in the parks have not flooded up to the top, so far, but they're getting primed for we hope that we have more rain coming," said van de Kamp. "It's been a good rain. It's really welcome. We really appreciate it given the drought conditions. Getting a nice dose of rain like this. It's gentle, not too hard with just minor street flooding."
In nearby Guadalupe, there were no reports of any road closures, including the intersection of Highway 1 and Division Road, which typically will flood during significant rainstorms.
