SUNOL, Calif. (KCBS RADIO) – Students are heading back to school after the winter break, and many are dealing with flooding from recent storms.
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Some of the worst flooding happened at a one-school district in the East Bay. Despite the campus looking more like a river just over a week ago, students at Sunol Glen School were back in classes Monday morning.
Principal Molleen Barns says flooding from a nearby creek caused extensive damage. The campus was inundated with water and mud strong enough to push three portable classrooms off their foundations.
"Our back area got flooded, three portable classrooms got moved one to two feet, our play structure in the back was destroyed," said Barns. "Five storage containers actually kind of floated around back there, that's how heavy and swift and damaging the water was."
As the waters receded, debris and a thick layer of mud settled on the blacktop, playground, garden and fields.
"It was all hands on deck last week to get it ready for kids to be able to return to school today," Barns said. "I've had to ask teachers to double up in some cases."
Repair crews were already tearing out water damaged walls. Despite all this, classrooms were open when students returned from winter break.
Only about a third of students were in class Monday, including Dan Richard's 7-year-old. He is thankful the school was able to reopen under the circumstances.
"My daughter doesn't want to miss school. She loves school, and she loves this school," he said. "I think they'll be fine. I think it's just a matter of the drop-offs and the pick-ups are going to be challenging."
A GoFundMe started by the district to help pay for damages and replace waterlogged school supplies has raised more than $17,000.
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