California grandmother, grandson survive after tree crashes into their home
Heavy rain from an atmospheric river sweeping through the Golden State caused the ground to become unstable and lead to mudslides and downed trees.
These storms are deadly: Atmospheric rivers pounding California day after day
Brian Ferguson, Deputy Director of Crisis Communications for California’s Office of Emergency Services, says rescues are ongoing along the coastline and evacuations develop as storms continue pummeling The Golden State. Ferguson notes California has seen more fatalities from these rain events than the last two wildfire seasons combined.
CASTRO VALLEY, Calif. - As the rain poured on Monday morning, Deanna Abrew woke up to the sound of a 170-foot tall eucalyptus tree crashing onto her in-law unit in Castro Valley.
Her adult grandson, Chris Dykes, was asleep in bed, when he woke up to find sheet rock from the ceiling falling on his face.
Dykes was not hurt, but he thinks the chimney in the room may have broken the tree's fall, preventing it from crushing his bed as he slept.
He said when Alameda County firefighters arrived and saw the damage, they told him to buy some lottery tickets as he was lucky to be alive.
Dykes seemed unfazed by the close call.
Chris Dykes was asleep in bed when he woke up to find sheet rock from the ceiling falling on his face. Jan. 9, 2023
(Deanna Abrew / Allie Rasmus / FOX Weather)
"I am feeling pretty good," he said with a smile. "Luck is on my side, I guess."
His grandmother had noticed the tree the day before, slanting precariously over her property.
"The tree was leaning this way," she said, tilting her hand to demonstrate. "It looked like too much of the root area was exposed."
She planned to call the county authorities in the morning to report it, but the tree fell overnight.
A security camera from her next-door neighbor's camera captured the roaring sound of the tree collapsing.
The neighbor said the ground shook and swayed, and at first, she thought it was an earthquake.
In Castro Valley, as the rains came pouring down on Monday morning, Deanna Abrew woke up to the sound of a 170-foot tall eucalyptus tree crashing onto her in-law unit. Jan. 9, 2023
(Deanna Abrew / Allie Rasmus / KTVU FOX 2)
This was not the only large tree to fall in the Bay Area during the torrential rains.
A tall Monterey Pine fell on Highway 13 in Oakland Monday morning, and another tree fell onto a home – also in Castro Valley – on Sunday, injuring the homeowner.
A giant pine tree fell in Concord Community Park, landing just outside the swimming pool.
With all the mess, tree trimmers struggle to keep up with the fallen trees.
Workers from JMV Tree Service in Hayward were doing the work. They said they’ve been working 16-hour days for the past week and still can’t keep up with demand.
"Unfortunately, it’s been so busy for us, we are no longer taking any customers," Juan Valle with JMV Tree Services. "All we are doing is previous customers that are contacting us."