High Winds Wreak Havoc in Chino Valley, Toppling Trees and Cutting Power

CHINO, Calif. — Fierce winds with gusts exceeding 60 mph swept through the Chino Valley this week, toppling trees, cutting power, and creating hazardous driving conditions. The high winds, which began Wednesday, caused widespread damage and forced Southern California Edison (SCE) to implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in several neighborhoods.

Approximately six homes on Canon Lane in Carbon Canyon remained without water or with low water pressure as of Thursday afternoon. The issue stemmed from a power-dependent water pump that could not operate during the outage. Councilman Ray Marquez, whose district includes Carbon Canyon, explained that water cannot be pumped uphill without electricity. “The Public Works Department is working on finding a solution to the problem,” he said.

Marquez, who is also affected by the outage, urged residents to invest in generators. “I really encourage people in the canyon to get a generator because this will happen quite often as the wind events continue throughout the year,” he said. City spokeswoman Nicole Freeman confirmed that the pump on Canon Lane lacks generator compatibility and is inoperable during PSPS events. She added that the city is developing a project to prevent future disruptions.

SCE spokesperson Jeff Monford said crews are working to restore power but emphasized the need for thorough inspections. “Every line has to be inspected before we can re-energize,” he said. “If the line is off, it is dangerous to turn it back on unless we inspect it because of the potential for debris in the line that came from the wind.” Monford did not provide a timeline for full restoration.

The power outages affected several neighborhoods, including Oak Ridge, Glenmeade, and Butterfield. Chino Hills High School and Oak Ridge Elementary School were also impacted, though power was restored to both by Thursday afternoon. Chino Valley School District spokesperson Andi Johnston said generators were delivered to Chino Hills High to maintain essential services.

The high winds caused significant property damage, including a large tree that fell onto a garage in the 13600 block of Cypress Avenue. Another tree blocked Eucalyptus Avenue near Chaffey College’s Chino campus, while a fallen tree on Sapphire Road at Onyx Road was quickly removed by Chino Hills crews. The city responded to about 30 wind-related service requests, including 14 for downed trees.

SCE reported three incidents of downed power lines on Wednesday, including one on Verdugo Avenue at Mountain Avenue and another at Euclid and Pine avenues. Despite the challenges, officials remain focused on restoring normalcy to the affected areas.