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The Weekly Newspaper of Torrance Herald Publications - Torrance, El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, Lawndale, & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 7, No. 5 - February 2, 2017 Inside This Issue Certified & Licensed Professionals.......................2 Classifieds............................6 Crossword/Sudoku.............6 Entertainment......................4 Legals....................................7 Pets........................................5 Police Reports.....................3 Real Estate...........................8 Sports....................................3 Weekend Forecast Friday Showers 59˚/53˚ Saturday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 63˚/51˚ Sunday AM Clouds/ PM Sun 61˚/52˚ Torrance High Honors Louis Zamperini’s 100th On Thursday, January 26, hundreds of Torrance High School students—including athletes, Student Council, Kiwins and other club members—gathered on the steps near the office to spell out “LZ 100” to honor the centennial birthday of the late “Torrance Tornado” Louis Zamperini. Though it was finals week and they got out of class early, the Tartars wanted to spend their after-school time celebrating the local hero. Also taking part in the photo were Zamperini’s son Luke, daughter Cynthia, daughter-in-law Lisa and (one and only) grandchild Clay. The event kicked off Torrance High’s own 100th anniversary year. Photo by Lifetouch. • Many people I spoke with are dealing with similar leak issues. Because we have had little rain these past few years due to the drought, leaky roof problems haven’t been an issue, but with the precipitation lately, roof leaks are coming to the forefront. I spoke with a local roofer and he told me of course leaks cannot be fixed during a rainstorm. That made sense. After the rain, he said he would do a water test on my roof where water is directed toward the area of the suspected leak to pinpoint the exact spot of the leak. He also told me that water is notorious for traveling far away from the actual leak because liquid naturally searches for the downward path, which makes leaks difficult to find. Do you have water leaks like I do? My neighbor Carolyn told me she developed a roof leak that dripped water all along the inside of a fireplace and she was concerned water would drip on her wood floors. She told me, in between storms, her roofer fixed her problem. Maybe my issue will be resolved as quickly. Carolyn has had more leaks that cropped up around the outside of her fireplace, so the roofer simply placed a tarp over the chimney and told her not to light a fire. Speaking of tarps, I have seen many tarps over roofs in Torrance. Sometimes, tarps And the Rains Came Story and Photos by TerriAnn Ferren Well, it finally came. The alert from the Torrance Police, via the TorranceAlerts System (torranceca.gov), informed me of heavy rain, the areas to avoid due to accidents on slick streets, and other important news keeping me up to the mark with city information. The rain came. The meteorologists were all correct. They said the third storm would pack a wallop and they were right. The deluge finally materialized big-time, and with that came flooded streets, accidents on slick roads, soaked lawns, and yes…roof leaks. Because we live in Southern California, rain is something I frankly look forward to and enjoy. Rain cleans the trees and foliage and refreshes everything--even the air. Ever since I was small, the sound of rain on the roof has been soothing. The rhythmic beat of raindrops on a window have more than once segued either a dramatic scene in a movie or book into a sad or melancholy scene, or been the added drama into the feelings of a character as he/she stared through the wet pane, intensifying the story or plot. But rain can also causes problems. For Torrance residents, this is a great time for discovering roof leaks. One of the TorranceAlerts suggested staying inside if we didn’t need to be out. Frankly, I heeded that suggestion and managed well at home. In fact, it was a good thing I was home. I thought my roof leak was fixed years ago, but it wasn’t. As the first rainstorm hit, I noticed the leak in my kitchen ceiling again. This time, my ceiling slowly developed a crack where water was making its way through, falling on my tile counter. I first put down large towels that soaked up the constant dripping from the kitchen ceiling onto my counter, and that worked for a while--but later I realized the need for a big bowl or bucket. The thick towels were soaked before I knew it. It was my friend, Martha Bauman, who had told me she had a leaky roof also and set several buckets around her house collecting rainwater. I took her advice and this morning I scoured the garage looking for a bucket, but the only one I had was huge--so I resorted to a large bowl I found in my kitchen cabinet. I thought that would work well until I nearly slipped in another puddle in the middle of the tile floor of my kitchen. Another leak…and this one was dripping from the light fixture in the middle of the kitchen ceiling. Okay, now I have two leaks and two bowls--one on the floor and one on the counter with towels surrounding both. No leaks on the second floor so far, thank goodness. When the rain was pounding, I did feel like a pioneer woman manning my station, keeping the house from flooding! See TerriAnn in Torrance, page 4


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