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Napa schools to reopen; quake damage tally continues

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The wine country town of Napa on Tuesday continued to tally damage from the largest quake to strike the Bay Area in a quarter-century, relying in part on teams of building and water inspectors from throughout the region who have come to assist.

At a City Council meeting and subsequent news conference Tuesday afternoon, City Manager Mike Parness said the number of red-tagged buildings stood at about 120. Those include residential, commercial and industrial structures that can no longer be inhabited.

The number of yellow-tagged structures, meanwhile, has reached about 500, but Parness said the numbers are fluid and 800 people are still awaiting inspection. (Yellow-tagged residences are habitable while repairs are underway, while commercial buildings in that category are not permitted to serve customers or clients.)

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While electricity was restored citywide Monday, the water news wasn’t as bright. Crews in the field Tuesday had identified 120 broken water lines and 640 residents remained without service.

The City Council passed a measure Tuesday to waive plan reviews to get residents and owners of commercial buildings through the rebuilding process more quickly, and Parness said officials are looking into establishing a one-stop center with state and federal agencies.

What has been most helpful, he said, are the teams from cities throughout the Bay Area that have come to help under a mutual aid agreement.

The extra building inspectors, for example, are “probably quadrupling the number of teams out there in the field,” he said. “In fact, it’s overwhelming. We’re getting so much data it’s hard to keep up with.”

The city has created an online map of damaged structures that will be updated regularly.

Meanwhile, Napa Valley Unified School District officials announced Tuesday that all but one facility – the K-8 Stone Bridge School – will reopen Wednesday after two days of closure.

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