By DAVID ROSS
The year 2003, which we “sadly” bid farewell to this week, was one in which you almost expected to see Moses striding along Valley Center Road, invoking yet another Biblical style plague.
During this year Valleyites endured two agricultural quarantines, a windstorm that tore down trees on every street, and finally a devastating fire that will define us as a community for many months to come.
But mixed with the tragedy and sadness were happy events.
We will explore both in the next few issues as we review 2003.
January
Valley Center said goodbye to one of its most treasured citizens, Tommy Thomas, a man who never said no to those in need. He died after a long struggle with kidney disease and diabetes. . . That same week local growers were digging into their own pockets again to spray groves infested with the Mexican fruit fly. A few days later the state instituted its own program of spraying over 28 square miles.
Sixty mile an hour winds the first week in January gusted 60-100 mph , making parts of Valley Center, Pauma and Palomar Mountain look like a tornado had gone through.
The main damage for growers, aside from occasional ripped up trees, were that untold avocados in the quarantine area not yet treated for Mexfly infestation
Dan Thornton was honored as Citizen of the Year by the VC Chamber of Commerce. The 20-year resident is known for his quiet, behind-the-scenes work for the community.
* * *
Valley Center schools faced $1 million in cuts as the new state budget figures were released. The school district eventually decided to make summer school “by invitation only,” a break with tradition.
* * *
Tests conducted on Valley Center water at the request of local residents concerned about a possible “cancer cluster” in VC came up negative for harmful chemicals.
* * *
The last two years emergency medical calls by the VC Fire Protection District increased dramatically over previous years, Fire Chief Kevin O’Leary told the VC fire board.
February
The state Dept. of Food & Agriculture expanded the Mexican fruit fly quarantine area by 13 square miles. The quarantine area now totalled 130 square miles and included the great majority of the Valley Center area.
* * *
Construction began to expand Harrah’s Rincon Casino’s gaming space, add show space and room for another restaurant, plus more warehouse space. This new $18 million phase of construction would allow the casino to add 100 more slot machines, ten more table games, a fast food restaurant and high energy bar.
* * *
Exotic Newcastle disease was discovered on several Valley Center chicken ranches, forcing the destruction of thousands of chickens.
* * *
Landmark restaurant Fat Ivor’s Rib Rack was destroyed in a fire, partially because firefighters had been diverted to another fire earlier in the evening.
March
Malinda Lasley, a 17-year old senior at VCHS who wants to someday be a diesel auto mechanic, realized the dream of a young lifetime as she was crowned Miss Valley Center 2003.
* * *
The VC-P school board voted to create a community facilities (Mello-Roos) district for Woods Valley Ranch development. This gives the school district $2.5 million up front, $100,000 a year for five years, $2.2 million for county roads and $3.2 million in sewer facilities .
* * *
Woods Valley Golf Course switched from a private to a public golf course.
* * *
The California Dept. of Food & Agriculture increased the tempo of its Mexican fruit fly spraying from every two weeks to 10-11 days..
* * *
Longtime Sheriff’s Lt. Doug Clements, who commanded the VC station twice in his career, retired from the service.
TO BE CONTINUED
Although several inches of rain fell over the Christmas weekend, Valley Center suffered no reported damages from mud slides.
Valley Center Road near Rincon Reservation was closed for about four hours on Christmas night. Some culverts on Woods Valley Road were plugged up by mud and debris. No other major incidents were reported.
Nobody knows whether this good fortune will continue with the storm that is due to hit later in the week, but several local agencies are working together to put together a plan to deal with emergency flooding issues before the rainy season, which is typically from January-March.
Experts estimate that the amount of run-off from rain will be multiplied four or five times in the areas that were burned in the Paradise fire in October, which is about 57,000 acres in our area.
Dale Gertzen, code enforcement, assistant safety officer for the VC Municipal Water District, has been working with Fire Chief Kevin O’Leary and with other agencies to develop an operational plan for action once the inevitable flooding occurs.
A meeting is planned in the near future that will also include representatives from California Highway Patrol, Sheriff’s Dept., Red Cross, CDF, County Flood Control District, Pauma Valley Community Services District, San Pasqual Reservation Fire Department and Escondido Fire Dept.
According to Gertzen, “Chief O’Leary’s plan is to be a little more proactive and to have a trigger point where we ask people to get out of harm’s way.”
Woods Valley Road seems to be one the area’s biggest area of concern, said Gertzen. About 40 homes in the area could be directly impacted by mud slides. But Woods Valley Campground is also an area of concern.
“We’ve done some measurements as far as runoff and there’s nothing to hold back the boulders and debris. We don’t want to have people in the situation of being trapped,” said Gertzen.
Another potential area of problems is Valley Center Road near the golf course, he said.
“It’s also going to impact Turner dam, which won’t be able to hold very much water before it goes over the spillway,” he added.
Lake Wohlford Road is also expected to be a potential problem.
The VC Grade is also a worry, but it is expected that the road building contractor for the VC Road widening will take care of that area.
Map books showing areas where flooding is expected are being assembled for fire engine companies. Crews will also have books showing what the areas look like when dry. This will be important if an area is flooded. It will help crews to decide whether there is a paved road that they can proceed on.
Gertzen has been involved in the planning because during his 31 years with the district he has seen three flooding disasters in VC and is well-aware of where the problem areas are. The chief is drawing on his knowledge.
The water district has many pipelines that cross creeks. It also needs to be vigilant about keeping culverts unplugged.
Every time it rains heavily and mud slides occur, the district has a few pipelines washed out.
Residents shouldn’t necessarily draw a sigh of relief at the end of this year’s rainy season.
“This is probably going to be a couple year event before the vegetation regrows,” said Gertzen.
He noted that Valley Center has a history of people being killed during flooding.
“Our plan, once its finished, will affect multiple areas in the Valley, any area that’s subject to flooding.”
But residents shouldn’t wholly rely on emergency agencies to warn them of danger.
“Private citizens need to be aware and to understand that they might be in a situation where help might not come.”
The people who died recently in San Bernardino County were out in the road looking when a wall of water swept them away.
People need to obey the instructions to pull out of a threatened area once it is given, he said.
People needing sand bags can obtain them at all area fire stations and at the County Road station on Cole Grade Road. The County has given away more than 100,000 such bags since the October fires.
The county’s flood control district has 65 flood sensors, called the ALERT (Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time) Flood Controlling System planted all over the county. These sensors monitor how much rain is falling in a particular area over time and transmit the information by radio the flood control district office.
According to Gertzen, there are only two of these in Valley Center. He’s like to see a few more. Each costs about $7,000.
“Some areas that we need more realtime information on are the Paradise and Woods Valley areas,” he said.
The County apparently agrees with him and has announced that it wants to increase the number of such stations by 30 all over the county.
* * *
Meantime County workers have been laboring overtime over the holidays, installing sand bags, straw matting and fiber rolls. Most of this preventative work has been finished and should be completed entirely by mid-January.
It has also hired aerial photographs showing the areas in hazard. Nearly half of these are in Valley Center and Ramona.
The five Disaster Recovery Centers operated by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) including the local assistance center in VC, now close one hour earlier on weekdays, as of Friday, Dec. 26, officials of those disaster-response agencies announced.
The new hours of operations for all Disaster Recovery Centers will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday.
“This minor adjustment of the Disaster Recovery Centers’ hours of operation reflect the declining numbers of applicants visiting the centers,” said Dallas Jones, OES director and state coordinating officer for the wildfires disaster.
“Although the centers are not as busy as they were in recent weeks, we want to be sure that those who were affected by the Southern California firestorms and who still need assistance understand that the centers are still open and ready to serve them six days a week,” added FEMA’s William Carwile, III, the federal coordinating officer.
The Disaster Recovery Center in VC is located at 28565 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center.
The U.S. Small Business Administration Disaster Center in Ramona will keep the following hours: Ramona Community Resource Center, Health and Human Services Agency, 1521 Main Street, Ramona, Calif. Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday, January 23, 2004; closed Christmas and New Year’s days.
Individuals and business owners affected by the Southern California fires who have not registered for federal disaster assistance have only until January 9, 2004, to apply.
Applicants can register by using the FEMA toll-free registration number at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362)). The TTY number is 1-800-462-7585 for those who are speech or hearing impaired. Recovery specialists are available to take calls from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except December 25, 2003 and January 1, 2004 when the lines will be closed. Residents already registered for disaster assistance with FEMA can call to update their application if necessary.
Applicants may qualify for assistance under several federal and state programs. These include temporary disaster housing assistance; U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) low-interest, disaster loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses of all sizes; and grants to meet disaster-related needs not covered by other programs or insurance.
Federal and state disaster assistance covers basic needs only and will not normally compensate for an individual’s entire loss. For applicants and business owners who have insurance, federal and state programs may help pay for basic needs not covered by an insurance policy. Residents should contact their insurance agents in addition to calling the FEMA registration number. Some disaster aid does not have to be paid back, while other forms of help may come in the form of low-interest loans from the SBA.
The Valley Roadrunner
P.O.B. 1529, Valley Center, CA 92082
Tel. 760.749.1112 Fax 760.749.1688
Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
Copyright © 2002, Palomar Community Newspapers, dba Valley Roadrunner. All rights reserved. This content may not be archived, retransmitted, saved in a database, or used for any commercial purpose without the express written permission of the Valley Roadrunner.