USA TODAY International Edition
Biggest storm in years lashing Southern Calif.
At least five dead as region hit by flooding, mudslides, sinkholes
A Pacific storm system over Southern California — one of the most powerful to hit the area in years — that has generated high water, fallen trees, mudslides and sinkholes and is blamed for at least five deaths began to ease Saturday.
But more wet weather was expected early in the week.
The National Weather Service said that much of the state was under flood watches and warnings from what it called a “very active, anomalously wet pattern.”
Unlike some of the past deluges that have lashed the drought- parched Golden State, the latest was accompanied by winds that whipped upward of 70 miles per hour in some areas.
After the brief reprieve late Saturday, another round of storms is likely to hit the Golden State on Monday, forecasters say.
“Northern California is likely to be slammed again, as it appears the heaviest rain from the storms will target the region at the start of next week,” said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson. More flooding, mudslides and avalanches are expected, as well as another round of flooding in the north.
The state is already reeling from what the NWS said could end up being the strongest storm to hit Southern California since January 1995.
Amtrak canceled its rail trips for a long stretch of the state’s southern and central coast, and more than 300 arriving and departing flights were delayed or canceled at Los Angeles International Airport.
In the Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles, the winds and rain were blamed for downing power lines along a busy stretch of Sepulveda Bou-
levard that fell on a car underneath. The driver was electrocuted, Los Angeles police said.
Later, only a few miles away in Studio City, a sinkhole swallowed two cars. TV viewers watched as one of the two vehicles teetered on the edge of the chasm before plunging in. Firefighters rescued one person from the first car, and the driver got out of the second before it fell. No one was injured.
Interstate 5, the major northsouth artery through California, was flooded near Los Angeles with water as deep as about 5 feet. Rush- hour traffic came to a crawl as California Highway Patrol officers guided motorists to off- ramps.
As the worst of the storm struck in the early afternoon Friday, work crews were deployed throughout the region to respond to traffic accidents, downed trees and power lines, and flooding as a result of the heavy rain.
In Victorville, a desert community east of Los Angeles, several vehicles were swept away by rushing water. One motorist was rescued from atop a vehicle. But San Bernardino County firefighters said another motorist died when the driver’s car was submerged.
In Thousand Oaks, Calif., Ventura County authorities recovered the body Saturday of a hiker who was swept away Friday afternoon by high water as swift currents quickly filled rivers and creeks that have been dry for years.
In light of what was billed as one of the most powerful storms to hit the Los Angeles area in years, residents were evacuated in some areas because of concerns about mudslides and heavy wind currents. In total, the storm had been predicted to dump 4 to 6 inches of rain over the weekend in a region that had seen water restrictions after years of drought, the Ventura County Star reported.
Two other deaths were reported in separate accidents on Interstate 15. One person was reported dead after a car hydroplaned across the highway, striking numerous vehicles, according to the California Highway Patrol. A two- car wreck north of Interstate 805 left another individual dead, according to the NBC San Diego.
The rain could cause flooding, and the Riverside County Fire Department cautioned all to avoid areas with high water and adhere to road closure signs.
On Interstate 15, the freeway that connects Las Vegas to Southern California, a fire engine went off the side when the water undercut the roadway beneath it. The firefighters were able to escape unhurt.
Some of the hardest- hit spots in Friday’s storms were the mountains and hills around Ojai and the Ventura River basin, swelling rivers and creeks that have had a string of dry years.
By evening, Ventura County and northern Los Angeles County had seen 24- hour rain totals of up to 71⁄ inches, with the San 2 Marcos mountain pass in Santa Barbara County receiving nearly 81⁄ inches. 2
The city of Duarte, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of Los Angeles, ordered evacuation of 180 homes below a burn scar.
Residents were evacuated in some areas because of concerns about mudslides and heavy wind currents.