STOCKTON, Calif. — The rain was light and spotty most of Thursday in Stockton— just what David Gipson needed to clean up from the storm last night and get midtown residents ready for the next one.
“We came out, removed the gutter guards, and are doing just a basic cleaning. It’s that time of the season for everybody actually," said Gipson, who operates Gipson Window and Gutter Cleaning with his family. "It's gutter guard season so people who want to not have to clean their gutters and just blow your roof off yearly. It's best to go with a professional gutter guard."
The Gipsons were called out to multiple homes in the midtown neighborhood Thursday morning. Their services are now in high demand.
“Today, we were just answering phones and here we are," said Gipson. "We pretty much got a full day booked just from last night’s storm.”
It was just minor debris buildup in gutters that caused Gipson to respond to the homes — much luckier than the scene in a neighborhood near downtown where howling winds took down a tree overnight, narrowly missing a home.
Meanwhile, on Holiday Drive, homeowners spent part of the night in the dark after they say a tree branch toppled onto a power line.
“That wind was really knocking those leaves off the trees," said Gipson of conditions Wednesday night. "I have a redwood tree and there were some big branches on my roof.”
His home near Ceres was also not immune to the strong winds. Hearing them howl into the night, he already knew it would be a busy day.
“It is actually kind of busy right now, especially for gutter cleaning," said Gipson. "Try not to use little plugs in your downspouts to stop debris from going in... most of the time your leaves will go in the gutter and flow out."
Gipson also recommends that people stay prepared. The San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services echoed that message in social media posts Wednesday, asking people to make an emergency plan, build an emergency kit, stay tuned to their website for emergency information and avoid driving on any flooded streets.
“I’ve been doing this particular job for about eight years now, and the number one thing I can say is don’t wait till you have a problem, be proactive," said Gipson.
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