Sierra Madre police and fire officials are clearing debris from mudslides today on the heels of a wild spring thunderstorm that wreaked havoc across Southern California on Thursday.
Minor mudslides repeatedly shut down parts of two streets in the area of Sierra Madre known as the Canyon, along Little Santa Anita Canyon on Skyland Drive and Woodland Drive, said James Carlson, a city spokesman. No homes have been damaged and no injuries reported, he said.
"Thursday evening we had our first mudflow and started voluntary evacuations -- and after the rain subsided, we ended cleanup efforts at 1 a.m. today," Carlson said. "But then we got new reports before 7 a.m. again that new flows had occurred at the same two locations. So we decided to open an emergency operations center, ask for voluntary evacuations and close the roads."
Voluntary evacuations are still in effect this afternoon on Skyland and on Woodland north of Mary's Market and non-resident traffic is not allowed in the area, Carlson said. The evacuation center is Sierra Vista Park, 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd., and sandbags are being provided to residents.
Sierra Madre's City Council held an impromptu meeting at 1 p.m. today, voting to declare the mudslide area in a "state of local emergency," Carlson said.
"What it does is allows us to get aid for manpower and equipment from surrounding areas, and may allow us to receive reimbursement for the costs from the state and federal government," he said.
Plows were brought in to clear the muck, mostly on Woodland, but there is no immediate danger to the homes, he said, adding, "We're still keeping an eye on the situation."
The weather conditions were very different from those nearly a month ago, when about 1,000 residents were evacuated from 200 homes in the upper part of Sierra Madre during a wildfire as Southern California broiled in record-breaking heat. The Sierra Madre fire ended up scorching more than 580 acres over a week and primed the area for mudslides.
While rain will be widespread throughout the region today, it is not expected be as severe as Thursday's wet weather, the National Weather Service reported. Still, authorities are watching out for flooding and mudslides.
Rain was heaviest in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Sierra Madre area -- about half an inch on Thursday alone, the highest total in the region.
Los Angeles County has a 20% chance of thunderstorms for most of the day, said National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto. In Orange County, there is a 30% chance of daytime showers, rising to 40% tonight and Saturday during the day, falling back to 30% Saturday night.
"The low pressure in Nevada is now moving into Southern California, so that means more showers would spread westward -- toward Ventura and Santa Barbara counties," Seto said. "For us, we will see more activity today but we don't know how severe. There'll be more showers over a larger area, though."
Seto said temperatures along the coast and inland would be in the mid-60s to low-70s, and the region would remain blanketed by clouds with a 20% chance of showers through Saturday evening.
A snow advisory is in effect for Southland mountains, except the Santa Monica range, until after 8 p.m. tonight in areas above 5,500 feet, the National Weather Service said. The service also issued a flash flood warning for the Antelope Valley until 7 tonight. That area could get an additional one to two inches of rain.
As of this afternoon, there are no major road or freeway closures related to the weather in the Los Angeles region, said California Highway Patrol spokesman David Porter. In Arcadia, the Baldwin Avenue onramp to the westbound 210 Freeway was closed after it flooded this morning. CalTrans is working to remove the water and has partially opened the ramp, Porter said.
Los Angeles County health officials are cautioning beachgoers about ocean water quality around storm drains, creeks and rivers.
Bacteria, debris and trash are likely to be carried by these outlets, said Dr. Jonathan Fielding of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
"Fortunately, discharging storm drains, creeks and rivers only comprises a small portion of the beach, and therefore, anybody who wants to go to the beach this Memorial Day weekend will be able to enjoy their outing," he said.
Areas of the beach away from storm drains, creeks and rivers are exempt from the advisory, which will be in effect until 7 a.m. Sunday.
The storm system's most severe damage Thursday was reported in Riverside County, where dark, towering funnel clouds spun across communities east and west of the 215 Freeway corridor.
Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, one of two funnel clouds tossed a line of 30-ton rail cars off their tracks and overturned a tractor-trailer truck, blocking the northbound lanes of the 215 Freeway.
Rush-hour traffic backed up for at least eight miles, according to the Highway Patrol. The truck driver was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries.
The tornado then headed toward Perris, where it caused power outages and minor damage before dissipating.
"I drove through it and have never seen weather like this," said Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez, spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
Hail turned neighborhoods white in Baldwin Park and Irwindale, drawing crowds of children into the streets to play with the ice. Snow dusted higher elevations and lightning strikes were reported in Mira Loma and other inland areas as the storm drifted south and west.
Flooding and rockslides closed sections of Interstate 10 in central Los Angeles County and the 60 Freeway east of Riverside.
With the possibility of even more thunderstorms today, motorists were being cautioned to avoid entering flooded intersections where their vehicles could become trapped.
In Irwindale in the San Gabriel Valley, police Thursday had to rescue motorists stranded in three feet of flood water, said police Sgt. George Zendejas. Five vehicles had to be towed out of the intersection of Irwindale Avenue and East Adelante Street.
In Orange County, walls of water, mud and debris -- some 8 feet high -- battered eastern canyons that had burned in last year's wildfires, leaving behind a muddy mess but little damage and no injuries.
The county's eastern canyons saw an inch and a half of rain in a half-hour period, authorities said.
Officials closed the roads to mud-swept Modjeska, Silverado and Williams canyons and worked to rescue residents stranded in two homes near the back of Williams Canyon. They were not hurt and were waiting for roads to clear so they could leave, said Mike Blawn, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.
Authorities dispatched bulldozers and other heavy equipment to clear the roadways and stand by in the event of more heavy rains. By late Thursday afternoon, canyon residents started to clear mud, dead trees and hundreds of rocks the size of basketballs from their properties.
Two canyon residents barely escaped the avalanche of boulders, mud and tree trunks that went roaring at them in Modjeska Canyon.
"It was out of control," said Tim Adams, 56, a resident of nearby Silverado Canyon who went to help his brother-in-law, Bill LaBar. "It was like big chunks of chocolate ice cream melting, with trees and rocks flowing through it."
Adams and LaBar got into four-wheel drive vehicles and sped away, going around and over boulders and downed trees.
"I have always said when it got bad, I would get out," said LaBar, who usually ignored mandatory evacuation orders. "It's the baddest I've ever seen it."
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