Evacuation orders for 30,000 lifted
Rescues reported from L.A. to 400 miles north
LOS ANGELES — A powerful storm dropped more rain across California on Thursday, swelling rivers, flooding streets and causing some mudslides but so far sparing communities a repeat of the disastrous debris flows that followed a deluge earlier this year.
Authorities lifted evacuation orders for some 30,000 people in disaster-weary Santa Barbara County, which includes Montecito, where mudslides killed 21 people and inundated hundreds of homes in January. People returned home as the storm unleashed flooding that led to dramatic rescues in other parts of the state.
Rescues were reported all the way from Los Angeles in Southern California, where a man and his dog were pulled from the Los Angeles River, to as far as 400 miles to the north in Folsom, where a man had to jump from the roof of his car to a rescue boat after he got stuck in floodwaters.
In San Luis Obispo County in central California, rescuers reported pulling 10 people from the Salinas River in Paso Robles in separate incidents throughout the day. A helicopter plucked six people from the water while swimmers got the others, said Paso Robles Fire Chief Jonathan Stornetta.
Some 80 miles east of Santa Barbara, passers-by helped rescue a couple whose car had turned upside down in rushing water on a neighborhood road, according to video posted by the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff ’s Department.
Meanwhile, various problems arose in Tuolumne County, in the central part of the state.
One couple stranded atop a chicken coop had to be rescued after their home and cars were flooded, and a dam leak in the Sierra Nevada foothills prompted about three dozen people to evacuate. A full dam failure was averted.
Not far from the dam in the small community of Groveland, flooded streets caused minor property damage and students at two schools had to shelter in place because buses weren’t able to reach them. They were later released to their parents.
Residents in Montecito began breathing a sigh of relief as the storm faded away in their area without any major problems.
“We dodged a bullet when this storm did not reach its full potential and actually veered off to the north and south of us,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said at a news conference.
No debris flows had occurred, creeks were flowing well and debris catch-basins were working, he said.
In fact, authorities began praising the storm for dropping a good dose of much-need water in the area, where drought conditions have recently gone back to extreme or severe levels.