by Kevin Foster
Each year we have lots of new residents moving to the Santa Cruz mountains. The winters are something that take a little getting used to with trees falling, many times multiple road closures that made destinations unreachable for many hours, sometimes for a couple days or more. If you’re a commuter that travels over the hill daily, it’s good to know the alternate routes.
I always suggest to take your family on a weekend adventure and take the multiple alternate routes on a weekend and explore different roads; take Hwy 236 all the way through the park back to Highway nine, up 236 and China grade, or Bear Creek Road to Summit to Upper Zayante and back down into Felton. Try Black Road from 17 to Summit and either left to Bear Creek Road or right to Highway nine. Most new residents to the area will not want to travel these roads at night unless they’ve been traveled during the daylight to prevent getting lost.
Along with knowing the alternate routes, it’s good to have supplies in the trunk of your car just in case you might get stuck and can’t get to your destination. Water, small, blanket, flares, a backup plan if you have kids or pets at home, I like to carry flares in case I come across a road hazard, such as a tree down around a corner, or I can set out a couple flares to warn other drivers of the dangers ahead. Along with the possibility of not being able to reach your destination, sometimes you might be stuck at home.
Having a generator is a must if you live in the Santa Cruz mountains. Good practices when having a generator is to always keep it well-maintained. It is best to either shut off the gas and let the gas run out of the carburetor completely till the generator shuts off or use fuel stabilizer to keep the gas from going bad. Regular maintenance, such as oil changes are a must. If the oil is low, it will not start.
If you live under a grove of trees that hang over your home, it’s always good to have some extra tarps stored in your garage. As a contractor in the Santa Cruz mountains, I get so many calls for branches, or trees causing leaks in roofs. With heavy rains, the weak branches break free and fall to the ground and sometimes will cause damage to your roof and cause a leak so it’s always good to have some tarps and a ladder just in case.
Another beneficial habit I have formed is when I know heavy rains are coming I try to park my vehicle, not directly next to trees that could possibly lose branches. I carry full insurance coverage on my vehicles, including acts of God.
One of the most important things in the event of an emergency or disaster, is having neighbors who can rally together and help one another. So make friends with your neighbors discuss the “what if’s” in the event you can help them or feed their pets or watch their kids or vice versa. The most resilient neighborhoods are the ones that come together when one or the other is in need of help. So for all your new residents, I hope this helps a little bit.
Remember if you can’t find a blessing, try to be one.
