Recent heavy rains have caused some minor flooding at Woodside, resulting in temporary block-offs and detours for students. 

On Wednesday, January 24th, students in their second-period class heard the loud clattering of rain against the roof. Upon exiting their classrooms, students heading past the area between the library entrance and the E-wing had to detour, as flooding caused staff to block off an area of approximately 300 square feet. 

“There was too much rain, more than the drainage system could handle,” grounds graffiti and clean up custodian Jesse Richardson said. 

It had rained the night before, but there was a very intense rain shower during the beginning of second period. 

“The pipes basically [get] blocked off [and] they all flood because of everything that falls onto the railings that we have on the pipes – debris, leaves, trash,” lead custodian Hebert Hidalgo said. 

Rains are not uncommon during California winters, but for this wet season in particular, the National Weather Service has estimated a high likelihood of above-normal rain for this past December through February.

“In situations where we have floods, we have pumps that push out the water and put it somewhere else where it can keep flowing,” Hidalgo said. “We also put down black foamy mats [which] sponge up and keep the water elsewhere, which creates a barricade.”

Parts of the school are more vulnerable to heavy rain and flooding due to their lower elevation or angled positions on campus

“Vulnerable spots would be the atrium [which] gets wet a lot because all the water flows down through that way and there’s nowhere to go after that,” Hidalgo said. “Our other vulnerable spots will be up by the E wing, by the parking lot.”

Rain is projected to continue into next week, according to The Weather Channel, but Woodside custodians have worked to prepare. 

“We actually already discussed that with the plant manager and we are putting down those foamable mats that create a barricade,” Hidalgo said. “We also put out the water pumps ahead of time so that if it does start overflowing, the water pump will kick up on its own, and start pushing the water out.”