American River College is due to be in the crosshairs of what has been called the biggest storm to hit the Sacramento region in the last six years on Wednesday.
Meteorologists expect heavy rains and winds of up to sixty miles per hour.
Due this potential for damage, the administration is preparing the campus for any potential damage that could occur.
According to Dan McKechnie, the interim director of administrative services, ARC will be making sure roofs, gutters, downspouts, and storm drains are free of debris.
According to McKechnie, the creek near ARC is important for maintaining the drainage system around the school.
“When the creek gets full our drain system gets impacted, so its not that our system is bad its just that it drains to the creek,” said McKechnie, adding that part of the reason maintenance services cleans the grounds is to keep these drainage systems clear.
McKechnie also says sandbags will be on hand in case of flooding, and staff will be put on standby to address any issues that may arise due to heavy rainfall.
A similar storm that struck Northern California and ARC early last week also caused flooding in some areas of the campus, however McKechnie says no serious problems arose from those floods.
The drainage system is designed to overflow onto the soccer fields nearby the creek if it backs up, and the back-up will ultimately flow back to the creek.
The bridge that is built above that creek, which is frequently traveled by students, is frequently flooded by storms like the one expected on Wednesday.
Despite its frequent use by ARC students, McKechnie says that since the bridge is located on public land, ARC has no control over whether or not to close it.
According to Scott Crow, ARC’s public information officer, the method of dealing with any emergencies depend on circumstance.
School officials will be tasked with scouting out areas that have been a problem in the past, or will present a problem in the future.
Crow added that each department has its own emergency management policy that is specific to their department.
McKechnie says ARC does its best to trim any branches that could be damaged or are dying to prevent them from causing damage by falling on people or personal property.
Even though personal property is expected to be at risk, McKechnie says he doesn’t expect any structures on campus to be at severe risk for damage.
Although the buildings are not expected to be severely damaged, McKechnie says the buildings were built for “California conditions.”
Police and the facilities and operations department have been put on higher alert for emergencies during the storm.
Throughout the storm, ARC will work closely with facilities management and with officials from other schools in the Los Rios District.
