LOS ANGELES – A storm of historic proportions dumped a record amount of rain on parts of Los Angeles on Monday, sending mud and rocks down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes as people living in homeless encampments in many parts of the city struggled. to get safe.
More than a million people across the state were left without power.
The storm was the second fueled by an atmospheric river to hit the state over the course of several days.
About 2.5 million people in the Los Angeles area, including Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills, were under a flash flood warning.
Up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain had already fallen in the area, and more was expected, according to the National Weather Service, which called the flash flooding and threat of landslides “a particularly dangerous situation.”
Crews were already rescuing people from swift water in several parts of Southern California, including two homeless people who were evacuated Monday from a small island in the Santa Ana River in San Bernardino, about 55 miles (88.51 kilometers). ) east of Los Angeles. authorities said.
Rushing rivers carried mud, rocks and household objects downhill as the waters swept through Studio City, an area at the back of the Hollywood Hills.
Mud and rocks hit multimillion-dollar homes as people living in homeless encampments in many parts of the city struggled to safety AP/Marcio José Sánchez More than a million people across the state were left without power. AP The storm was the second driven by an atmospheric river to hit the state. REUTERS
Sixteen Studio City residents were evacuated and two homes were damaged, city officials said.
“It looks like a river that’s been here for years,” said Keki Mingus, whose neighbors’ houses were damaged. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
The Los Angeles Fire Department said 1,000 firefighters were dealing with 49 debris flows, 130 reports of flooding, a half-dozen structure fires and several rescues of motorists stranded in vehicles.
Drake Livingston, who lives in the Beverly Crest neighborhood, was watching a movie around midnight when a friend alerted him about flooding.
“We looked outside and there was a foot and a half of water running, and it started seeping through the doors,” Livingston said.
Livingston rushed to save some possessions but eventually had to retreat to a neighbor’s house. In the morning, Livingston’s car was submerged in several feet of mud.
About 2.5 million people in the Los Angeles area, including Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills, were under a flash flood warning. Getty Images Cars drive through flooded streets during the ongoing storm in Studio City, Cali. REUTERS
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged residents to avoid driving, warning of downed trees and power lines on flooded roads.
More than 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) of rain have fallen in the Santa Monica Mountains. Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley said hazards will remain a threat in areas near recent wildfire scars, noting that rain is forecast to continue through Tuesday.
A record 4.1 inches (10.41 centimeters) of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, making it the 10th wettest day on record, the National Weather Service said. That’s more rain than the area normally receives all month.
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That didn’t stop the Grammy Awards on Sunday night from going on as planned at the Crypto.com Arena downtown.
The weather service forecast up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain in coastal and valley areas of Southern California, with 14 inches (35 centimeters) possible in the foothills and mountains over the next two days.
Commuters waded through several inches of water Monday morning as they rushed to catch trains at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles.
Firefighters rescue a dog from a homeless encampment. AP firefighters rescue a man from a homeless encampment that became surrounded by flooding. AP
The weekend storm flooded streets and downed trees and power lines across the San Francisco Bay Area, while the weather service issued a rare warning. “Hurricane force wind warning” for the Central Coast. Several people had to be rescued from the rising floodwaters, including those in cars and others living in homeless encampments.
In Yuba City, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco, police said they were investigating the death of a man found under a large redwood tree in his backyard Sunday night.
A neighbor heard the tree fall and the man may have been using a ladder to try to remove the redwood when he was killed, police said on Facebook.
In Southern California, off the coast of Long Beach, 19 people were rescued Sunday after the 40-foot sailboat they were on lost its mast, said Brian Fisk, a firefighter and paramedic with the Long Beach Fire Department. .
Another ship heard the distress call on marine radio and helped rescue eight people, while 11 were able to reach the rocky Alamitos Bay breakwater, where they were rescued by lifeguards, he said. One person was treated for injuries.
“They went sailing in gale-force winds and stormy weather,” Fisk said. “They are very, very lucky.”
The storm downed trees and power lines throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. AP Vehicles are damaged by a landslide on Monday, February 5, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles. AP/Márcio José Sánchez
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for most Southern California coastal counties and said emergency resources were ready, while emergency shelters were opened.
Most Los Angeles public schools were open, although other districts suspended classes.
Heavy snow was falling throughout the Sierra Nevada and motorists were urged to avoid mountain roads.
Much of the state was still drying out from the initial river-driven atmospheric storm that broke out last week. Atmospheric rivers are relatively narrow columns of moisture that form over an ocean and can produce torrential amounts of rain as they move over land.
Both atmospheric rivers were called “Pineapple Express” because they originated near Hawaii.
Since last winter, 46 atmospheric rivers have made landfall on the U.S. West Coast, lifting the state out of a year-long drought, according to the Center for Western Climate and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
Nine were categorized as strong, two as extreme and one as exceptional.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn