Evacuations ordered in Calif. as storm moves in
Pastor Dale Morgan
Evacuations ordered in Calif. as storm moves in
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A resident of La Canada Flintridge inspects the mudslide caused by a
winter storm in Los Angeles on Monday, Jan. 18.
By John Antczak, Associated Press Writer
LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE, Calif. — Authorities ordered the evacuation of 64
Southern California homes Monday as heavy rains pounded a neighborhood
just below an area scarred by a massive wildfire.
Forty-two other homeowners were told to be ready to leave if necessary.
Officials feared mudslides could threaten a number of foothill areas
along the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County fire Inspector Matt Levesque said homeowners in the
Paradise Valley area of La Canada Flintridge were notified of the
possible danger after a catch basin filled with sliding mud and debris.
The area was near the scene of the Station Fire last summer that
scorched about 250 square miles of Angeles National Forest.
Olivia Brown stood outside her home in driving rain and exchanged
information with her neighbors.
"We are already packed and ready to go," she said, adding that most
people would probably heed the orders to leave.
Elsewhere, more than 12,000 residents lost power due the heavy winter
storm that could bring up to 1\ inches of rain an hour.
Earlier in the day, a plane flying from Dallas to San Francisco made an
emergency landing at San Jose International Airport because of the storm.
American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said the captain reported
encountering a powerful gust of wind as the plane began its descent to
San Francisco International Airport.
Two more storms were expected to hit California later in the week.
The areas most affected by the power outages were Arrowhead, Hawthorne,
Hesperia and unincorporated Los Angeles County, said Vanessa McGrady, a
spokeswoman with Southern California Edison.
Problems were also reported in the Eagle Rock neighborhood of Los
Angeles. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
did not return repeated calls.
No major damage was reported despite rain that intensified through the
day. The first storm was expected to drop 3 to 6 inches of rain in
Southern California and 8 inches in the San Francisco area.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch in burn areas in
Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The agency also issued
a wind advisory in areas northeast of Los Angeles, with gusts up to 70
mph. Winds up to 35 mph were forecast in parts of Northern California.
Authorities urged residents living below fire-damaged hillsides to obey
any evacuation orders. They said they were ready for mudslides and
debris flows six times as severe as the one in La Conchita in 2005 that
killed 10 people along California's central coast.
"We are begging you to leave when you're ordered. These debris flows can
be deadly, and if you stay you may not only be risking yourself and your
family, but you may be risking the first responders who have to go in
and rescue you as well," Los Angeles County fire Chief Mike Metro said.
In preparation, crews have handed out 30,000 sandbags and built 10,000
feet of concrete barriers in foothill communities near burn areas, said
Bob Spencer, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public
Works.
Metro said his department had 150 search and rescue personnel ready
despite sending 75 members to Haiti to help with earthquake relief.
Authorities have also consulted with 500 homeowners in burn areas to
give them advice on how to best protect their homes. Horse racing was
canceled at Santa Anita Park due to the heavy rains.
Forecasters said storms lasting through at least Friday could drop 20
inches of rain inland and 8 inches along the coast and in the valleys of
Southern California. Ten inches of rain was predicted for the San
Francisco Bay area.
"If it progresses as anticipated, at the end, we will probably have to
go back 10 years or more to find a system of equal rainfall and
intensity," NWS forecaster Bob Benjamin said.
Snow could fall in the Sierra foothills as low as 3,000 feet, boosting a
depleted snowpack but making travel hazardous.
Contributing: Associated Press Writers Gillian Flaccus in Los Angeles
and Louise Chu in San Francisco contributed to this report.