Mudflows, floods and fires: the storm led to casualties and destruction in Los Angeles

On February 5, a storm of historic proportions dumped record amounts of rain on parts of Los Angeles, California. Landslides carried mud and boulders down hillsides, destroying residents’ homes, the AP reported.

The storm was caused by an atmospheric river. Atmospheric rivers are relatively narrow plumes of moisture that form over the ocean and can produce heavy rainfall as they move over land.

About 1.4 million people in the Los Angeles area, including the Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills, were at risk of flash flooding on February 5. About a million people across the state were left without power on the evening of February 5th.

A record 10.41 centimeters of rain fell on February 4 in downtown Los Angeles, surpassing the previous record of 6.48 centimeters set in 1927, the National Weather Service said.

On the subject: An atmospheric storm hits California: roads are flooded, a million people are left without electricity

Mudflows, floods and fires

On February 5, a mudslide caused significant damage to approximately five homes in Beverly Hills, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. According to the department, although no one was injured, about 10 people were forced to leave their homes.

On February 5, crews rescued people from fast-moving water in various parts of Southern California, including 16 people and five cats in Los Angeles County alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbbX82pdOWg

Also rescued were two homeless people who had spent the night on a small island in the Santa Ana River in San Bernardino, about 88.51 kilometers east of Los Angeles.

“They were cold and tired after the night. They were stuck on this little piece of land in the middle of the river,” said Capt. Nathan Lopez of the San Bernardino County Fire Department. A dog and two cats also survived.

At a press conference, authorities said that although the intensity of the rain decreased on February 6, the threat of flooding remains high.

“The soil is extremely saturated, oversaturated,” said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist in Los Angeles. “It can’t hold extra water.” It won’t take much rain for more landslides, mudflows, rockfalls and other troubles to occur.”

Near the Hollywood Hills, floodwaters carried dirt, rocks and household items including refrigerators, ladders and plastic boxes down Studio City, damaging at least two homes, city officials said. Sixteen people were evacuated.

“It’s like a river that’s been flowing here for years,” said Keki Mingus, whose neighbors’ homes were damaged. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

The Los Angeles Fire Department said 1,000 firefighters battled 49 mudslides, 130 floods and a half-dozen structure fires. They rescued several motorists who were stuck in their cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9_FOm0vzKY

Drake Livingston, who lives in the Beverly Crest area, was watching a movie around midnight when a friend warned him about the flooding.

“We looked outside and there was 40cm of running water and it was starting to seep through the doors,” said Livingston, whose car was found buried in mud that morning.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged residents to avoid driving, warning of fallen trees and power lines on flooded roads.

Shelters were adding beds for the city’s nearly 75,000 homeless people.

Tony Sanz spent the night in a city park and went out at dawn to find higher ground as floodwaters rose around his tent.

“Oh, it rained last night,” he said on the afternoon of February 5, squatting in a tent covered with a tarp on the sidewalk outside a supermarket. He noticed clouds in the sky during a break between showers and wondered, “Is that it? I hope that’s all.” Not yet, say weather forecasters.

Lost and Saved

The weather service is forecasting up to 20 cm of rain in coastal and valley areas of Southern California, and up to 35 cm in the foothills and mountains over the next two days.

Authorities also reported several spills on Feb. 5, including the release of about 5 million gallons of untreated sewage in the Rancho Dominguez area surrounding Compton. Most of the untreated sewage went into a canal leading to the Pacific Ocean. The city closed an 11.27-mile stretch of Long Beach to swimming.

Most Los Angeles public schools remained open, but some districts closed schools. The weather also forced the closure of Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Magic Mountain and SeaWorld San Diego theme parks, as well as the closure of Disneyland.

The storm flooded streets, toppled trees and prompted rescue efforts across the San Francisco Bay Area over the weekend.

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Two men were killed by falling trees on February 4. One died in Carmichael, a suburb of Sacramento, the other in Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County. Police were investigating the death of another man in Yuba City, about 100 miles northeast of San Francisco, who was found Feb. 4 under a redwood tree in his backyard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC6tPCGdhmQ

Evacuation orders were issued in many parts of the country, from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles counties, where temporary shelters were set up.

Off the coast of Long Beach, 19 people were rescued on February 4 after the sailboat they were traveling on lost its mast due to hurricane-force winds.

Heavy snow fell across the Sierra Nevada and motorists were urged to avoid mountain roads.

The intensity of the rain is expected to decrease slightly from what occurred over the weekend as the storm system moves east into the desert, forecasters said. The potential for flash flooding will extend into western Arizona, southern Nevada and southwestern Utah.

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