Strong winds, with gusts of 65-plus mph that struck all day Sunday, Feb. 4 didn’t cause too much damage in Morro Bay, but enough happened to lead the City to close a couple of popular recreation facilities.
In the Harbor winds can wreak havoc with moored boats out in the bay, but the winds only caused one boat to break loose off the Yacht Club’s moorings, according to the Harbor Patrol. They were able to snag the boat before it was blown into anything.
They also had a few skiffs capsize and sink that were tied up at public docks along the waterfront, but they were able to refloat them.
Up the hill in town, the Public Works Department dealt with damage in local parks.
The “atmospheric river” storm that blew in from the south, toppled a mature cypress tree and smashed a portion of the fence at the Giannini Family Dog Park, located inside Del Mar Park in North Morro Bay. The dog park, which has numerous similarly mature trees scattered throughout the two sides of the dog park, was closed to the public. A work crew was out last Wednesday to remove the tree and then fix the downed perimeter fencing.
And the wind destroyed a portion of the fence around the tennis courts at Monte Young Park on the other end of town in the Morro Heights Neighborhood.
The tennis courts at Monte Young Park are posted closed indefinitely, after strong winds blew off part of the perimeter fencing. The City said it should reopen by April 20.
“Due to the high winds associated with the storm that hit Morro Bay on Sunday, Feb. 4,” reads a news release from the City Public Works Department, “the dog park at Del Mar Park and the tennis courts at Monte Young Park will be closed temporarily.”
Maintenance crews were to work on repairs and making sure the areas are safe for the public to use again before they are reopened.
“The dog park is expected to open by Saturday, Feb. 24th, and the tennis courts by Saturday, April 20,” the City said.
The Fire Department was busy. In a report compiled for the Estero Bay News, by the department’s Administrative Technician, Tracy McConnell, on Feb. 4, the fire department got a total of 24 emergency calls about downed trees and wires. It was busy all that day.
Sunday, February 4th we had a total of 24 calls of downed lines and trees.
“The calls were pretty consistent,” she said, “at three to four calls an hour from about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. “
The department had all hands on deck. “We had a crew of five plus the Division Chief on duty that day, with two engines and two utility vehicles rushing about town all day.”
