Banners honoring military veterans are victims of record winds

The hurricane-force winds that swept through the region overnight Nov. 30 left dozens of banners honoring military veterans along Foothill Boulevard tattered, prompting organizers to end the banner program.

Most of the 48 banners were taken down, while others blew away during the windstorm and won’t be replaced because doing so would be too costly, said Crescenta Valley Town Council member Danette Erickson. Seven banners that weren’t destroyed in the winds will remain hanging along Foothill until they “become unsightly,” she added.

“We are hesitant to start all over again,” Erickson told the Burbank Leader.

The 6-year-old program, which had erected about 100 banners, cost more than $20,000.

Over the years, the banners — posted after the Iraq war to honor local service members — deteriorated and sustained some wind damage, but their appearance worsened dramatically with the recent windstorms, Erickson said.

“We are very fortunate we were able to do this for six years,” she said.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Photo: Debbie Young, from left, Danette Erickson and Frank Beyt take a look at a surviving banner on Thursday. Credit: Cheryl A. Guerrero / Times Community News