Southern California Sees Record Rainfall, State Assesses Damage

People watch the high volume of storm rain water flowing downstream at the Los Angeles River in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 2023. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)

Record rainfall in Southern California Jan. 14 led to flooded streets and mud-covered houses—with emergencies ranging from the rescue of a woman hanging onto a tree in a Laguna Hills creek to houses being crushed by fallen trees in San Diego.

The rain began falling again over Los Angeles County late Saturday morning with more hitting in the late afternoon through evening. Downtown Los Angeles received 1.82 inches of rain, breaking the old record of 1.56 inches set in 1978, according to the National Weather Service.

People cross a bridge over a swollen Los Angeles River in Los Angeles on Jan. 14, 2023. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)

In Orange County, the rain eased off Saturday night until a smaller storm moved in later Sunday afternoon. It continued into the morning of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Almost all of the state has received 4 to 6 times more rain than average since Christmas, with some areas receiving as much as 30 inches, causing massive flooding. The series of storms has killed at least 19 Californians since late December.

Floods

Flooding was reported in the Long Beach Peninsula community at about 2 p.m. Saturday, affecting residences along 67th Place. A little farther to the northwest, all lanes of the 710 Freeway were flooded between Anaheim and Willow streets.

In Laguna Hills, a woman was airlifted from a tree above rising water at Aliso Creek near the 24400 block of Christina Court at around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA).

In a video posted on Twitter by the agency, a helicopter lowered a rescuer to the woman, who picked her up, and took her to a safe area.

“As the weather continues to fill up waterways, we strongly urge everyone to stay away from the water,” OCFA Capt. Thanh Nguyen told City News Service.

The California Highway Patrol rescued three people whose car slid off a rain-slicked road and teetered on the edge of a cliff in the Santa Cruz Mountains earlier on Friday.

The occupants of the car “were scared for their lives and were in disbelief” when they were pulled safely from the car as the vehicle’s front end hung precariously over the cliff’s edge, the highway patrol said in a statement.

“We cannot stress this enough. Please ONLY drive if it’s necessary,” officials said.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 3 a.m. Jan. 17 for the Los Angeles County mountains. Forecasters said for Sunday night through Monday, snow could accumulate 5 to 10 inches above 5,500 feet, and 3 to 6 inches at higher points.

A high surf advisory was in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday at Orange County beaches, where huge waves have been seen in the last few days.

Landslides and Mudslides

The series of storms saturated the bald mountains and hillside—where vegetation is still recovering from previous wildfires—causing hundreds of landslides this month.

Since New Year’s Eve, the California Department of Conservation’s landslide mapping team has documented more than 300 slides.

Just north of Los Angeles near Ojai, major storms damage the road into Matilija Canyon, which the Ventura County Sheriff has evacuated over 70 people via helicopter.

The slides have mostly blocked highways and washed away some sections of roads making them inoperable. Fortunately, no communities have been majorly harmed as in 2018 when mudslides roared through Montecito, killing 23 people and wiping out 130 homes.

The slides closed portions of the Golden State (5) Freeway near Stadium Way. Part of the southbound I-5 from state Route 110 and the southbound I-5 connector to southbound state Route 110 is also closed due to mudslides, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Aftermath

New waves of rain brought bad news for crews still working to clean up after last week’s storms.

A sinkhole that developed on a Calabasas roadway and swallowed two vehicles continued growing. The sinkhole on Iverson Road was estimated Jan. 13 to have grown to about 45 feet deep while spanning the entire roadway.

The Los Angeles City Council approved $500,000 in emergency funding on Tuesday for its expedited repairs.

In this image taken with a drone, a vehicle is stuck in a sinkhole in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles on Jan. 10, 2023. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

Another $450,000 was approved for storm repairs to Mulholland Drive between Summit Circle and Bowmont Drive, which remained closed to all non-residents on Sunday.

Additionally, the storms knocked down trees which led to more property damage in both commercial and residential areas.

In the Hollywood Hills, a tree collapsed, damaging a home, rupturing a gas line, and downing power lines at 10:15 p.m. Sunday. The home at 3084 N. Belden Drive sustained minor damage and no one was hurt.

In Woodland Hills, a tree toppled at 8:13 p.m. Saturday in the 23300 block of Mulholland Drive, crushing multiple cars in a parking lot.

The rain also created dangerous conditions for hikers.

The Montrose Search and Rescue Team—a nonprofit, volunteer rescue group affiliated with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department—reported Sunday that “there have been numerous slip and fall incidents in the Angeles National Forest in the last few weeks. Some have resulted in fatalities.”

Debris is seen on the beach in Newport Beach, Calif., after a rainstorm on Jan. 16, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Some local events also came to a halt due to the storm.

Santa Anita Park canceled all scheduled horse races on Saturday and Monday. Los Alamitos Race Course scrubbed all races planned for Saturday night.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday declared a local state of emergency due to the weather change. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have also declared a state of emergency over the storms earlier this month to speed up the process of disaster relief.

Conditions should dry out by Jan. 17, beginning a mostly sunny week, but some Santa Ana winds could develop later in the week.

City News Service and The Associated Press contributed to this report.