Tree cutting crews were scrambling Tuesday to remove about half a dozen large trees along a freeway onramp in Campbell amid rain and high winds.
The trees along the Hamilton Avenue onramp to northbound Interstate 280 were deemed unsafe and were at risk of toppling onto nearby homes or power lines with strong winds forecast Tuesday.
The onramp likely will remain closed until about 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Removing such large trees is not easy or quick work. The crews tie a rope to the top of the tree, chainsaw the bottom and guide its fall in a safe direction. Then they chop it into smaller pieces and eventually turn it into mulch before yanking out the trunk and roots.
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PG&E is expecting more power outages as the winds pick up later in the day. They’ve staged replacement equipment and extra crews in the South Bay and on the Peninsula.
People in the Santa Cruz Mountains were told to be prepared to be without power for as long as five days.
