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City Survives The Storm
Storm
The City of Riverbank survived the storm with minimal damage even though Silva Park collected several inches of rain from the past storm. The park will likely not be drying out anytime soon due more rain that has been forecast in the days to come. Photo Contributed

 

Like many other communities around the Central Valley, Riverbank was unundated by a winter storm system late last week, with upwards of three inches of rain over a two-day period, along with high winds. More rain is also in the forecast for this week. Riverbank City Manager Jill Anderson provided this ‘state of the city’ report regarding the storm of Dec. 11 and 12, which brought much-needed rain but also the potential for widespread problems.

 

Even a few hours after the worst of the storm had passed, Silva Park looked like a small lake. This is a testimony of the amount of rain that the City of Riverbank received and that the City’s public works infrastructure worked the way that it was supposed to.

Fortunately, many people responded to the calls to be prepared and Riverbank was spared the worst of the storm. The most notable wind damage was at the Crossroads Shopping Center, which lost part of a monument sign. A few trees came down and were quickly moved to prevent further impacts. The best news is that there were no reports of personal injuries related to the storm.

Much of the credit for the minimal impacts is due to the effort of the City’s Public Works Division, which had people in the field from early Thursday morning throughout the long, rainy night into Friday to respond to calls for service; place traffic control signs, and monitor the storm drain and sewer system. Their hard work before, during and after the storm is to be commended. Since the last big storm, the City has invested in a number of storm drain improvements, which also helped keep damage to a minimum. While there are more improvements needed, we are making progress. The importance of preventative maintenance that was done by our residents and businesses, as well as the City, becomes very evident in a storm situation.

The City has staff on stand-by 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to emergencies involving streets, sewers, and water. The number to call when these situations occur after business hours is 800-672-9068. As always, 9-1-1 is the number to call in a life-threatening emergency.