Storm Spotters Needed

The County of San Diego is in the process of becoming certified as a StormReady County. This means that the County has taken steps to assure that when severe storms and storm-related disasters occur, the County will be prepared to respond to the event.

One of the requirements of the program is for the County to be actively engaged in soliciting for County workers to help be the eyes and ears of the National Weather Service so they can issue timely weather warnings. These people are called Storm Spotters.

Storm Spotters are volunteers who observe the weather in their town or workplace, and report their observations to the National Weather Service (NWS). Storm Spotters serve as the eyes and ears of the NWS on the ground and are important because the information they provide helps the NWS spot hazardous weather conditions and allows it to quickly issue severe weather warnings. The Storm Spotter program is a volunteer -- not a required -- County activity. Participation in the program will help the NWS to issue more timely warnings to county residents.

Storm Spotters are asked to report on:

   · Rainfall (amounts and intensity)

   · Flooding (location and depth)

   · High winds (30 mph or greater)

   · Fog (when visibility is near zero)

   · Any weather related damage

If you are interested in becoming a Storm Spotter, the County will be hosting one or more free Storm Spotter Training Classes put on by the NWS. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rand Allan with the Flood Control office at (858) 495-5557 or email him at rand.allan@sdcounty.ca.gov.

Once a sufficient number of people have show an interest in attending, Allan will contact Storm Spotter candidates with training dates and times. Additional information about the Storm Spotter program can be found here.

Yellow-Bellied Marmot Hitches Wild Ride

County Animal Services recently rescued a yellow-bellied marmot after it was found hiding on the inside of a bumper of a car that had traveled six hours from the Dinky Lakes Wilderness area to Encinitas.

Encinitas resident Karl Knoblock was three hours into his drive back from Dinky Wilderness when he stopped to take a break. He noticed what appeared to be a tail sticking out from the front bumper of his car. He thought he had hit and killed an animal and proceeded home. Three hours later when he arrived in Encinitas, he heard the animal under the bumper of his car.

“I just couldn’t believe the animal was actually alive and it had traveled all that way,” said Knoblock. “I couldn’t get it out of my car, so I contacted County Animal Services.”

Knoblock drove his vehicle to Animal Services shelter in Carlsbad where staff confined his car in an enclosed area in case the animal got loose. Animal Control Officer Joni Palumbo spent an hour attempting to capture the animal as it cunningly moved about various areas of the vehicle’s engine.

“Once I got a hold of the animal’s hindquarters, I was amazed at how strong it was as it grabbed a portion of the vehicle and wouldn’t let go,” said Officer Palumbo. “I had no idea what type of animal I was dealing with at this point.”

The animal was successfully captured unharmed. Yellow-bellied Marmots are not indigenous to San Diego County. The animal is a ground squirrel that lives in the western United States and southwestern Canada, including the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada at elevations above 6,500 feet. The California Fish and Game Department has been notified and will be making arrangements to re-home the animal.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation…

If you’re reading this, you likely aren’t on a beach or a mountaintop. (Or if you are, you really need to disconnect and enjoy your time off!) But it’s a good bet you took, or are planning to take, some vacation time this summer.

Well, we want to see your pictures! No matter if you went to Paris, France or Paris, Texas.

Send County News a snapshot of your summer vacation, with a sentence that can be used as a caption, and we will publish it in September.

E-mail your submissions to CountyNews@sdcounty.ca.gov. Please include your job title and your department, and the names of any others in the photo. Also be sure to include the location where the photo was taken.

Safe travels!