On Tuesday afternoon, extreme windy conditions caused multiple trees to fall on campus. One victim to the strong winds: a tree by the bear statue which fell after being buffeted by powerful gusts of wind. Luckily, no one was injured and it appears the nearby library suffered no damage.
Sophomore Diego Nolasco said, “The tree was already bending over, and then it just went kind of diagonally and fell.” Sophomore Lexi Chua said, “I looked over and saw a crack in the dirt. The tree was bent, not quite upright. The crack got bigger, so I took out my phone and recorded.”
This tree marks the second M-A tree that has fallen today due to the wind, with the first falling in the C wing. The strong winds have had other effects on campus too. Trees blew down in the C and B wings as well. Wind continues to knock down small branches and whip up debris, as well as cause lights to flicker throughout the day. During 6th period, an electrical transformer near campus exploded, and M-A students in portions of Menlo Park lost power. Junior Derrick Kennedy said, “I was shocked. There were trees falling everywhere.”
This is the most recent weather trouble in a string of unusually extreme weather patterns. San Mateo County officials advise residents to call 211 for storm-related, non life-threatening emergencies.
Once students notified administrators about the tree, they immediately closed off the surrounding area to protect student and staff safety. At the moment, it does not appear that other trees in that area are likely to fall.
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