Los Angeles records 475 mudslides during historic storm that has drenched Southern California
Los Angeles officials says crews had responded to at least 475 mudslides and that seven buildings had been deemed uninhabitable since an atmospheric river-fueled storm moved into the region over the weekend
LOS ANGELES (AP) — One of the wettest storms in Southern California history unleashed at least 475 mudslides in the Los Angeles area after dumping more than half the amount of rainfall the city typically gets in a season in just two days, and officials warned Tuesday that the threat was not over yet.
“Our hillsides are already saturated. So even not-very-heavy rains could still lead to additional mudslides,” Mayor Karen Bass said during an evening news conference. “Even when the rain stops, the ground may continue to shift.”
Officials expressed relief that the storm hadn’t yet killed anyone or caused a major catastrophe in Los Angeles despite its size and intensity, with nearly 400 trees toppling. There were seven deaths reported elsewhere, including several people crushed by fallen trees in Northern California. Someone trying to enter the United States was swept up by a swollen Tijuana River channel and died early Tuesday as the California-Mexico border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Though the rain was tapering off, forecasters extended a flood watch through early Wednesday, warning the ground was too filled with water to hold much more after back-to-back atmospheric rivers walloped California in less than a week. Another heavy burst of rain is expected Wednesday evening before the region begins to dry out, said Tyler Kranz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Bass said the city is now looking toward recovery and will seek federal aid including emergency vouchers for homeless people in shelters. It may see if it can qualify for FEMA money to help people whose homes were damaged in hillside communities where insurance companies won’t cover. How many they are could take a while to count.
As of Tuesday, seven buildings had been deemed uninhabitable, officials said. Another 10 buildings were yellow-tagged, meaning residents could go back to get their belongings but could not stay there because of the damage.
“Hopefully no more homes will be damaged, but it’s too early to tell,” Bass said.
Dion Peronneau was trying to get her artwork and books out of her home, which was smashed into by a mudslide that knocked her sliding glass doors off their frame and came pouring into her home of 25 years.
“Eight feet of mud is pressed up against my window that is no longer there,” she said. “They put up boards to make sure no more mud can come in.”
Earlier Tuesday the National Weather Service issued a rare tornado warning for San Diego County. The warning was quickly cancelled, however, with forecasters explaining that the storm no longer appeared capable of producing a twister even if it briefly turned some San Diego streets into rivers.
Four people were killed in Northern California after the storm came ashore over the weekend with strong winds that toppled trees. They included a 63-year-old woman who was found dead Tuesday under a large tree in her backyard in Fair Oaks, Sacramento County officials reported.
The California Highway Patrol said a 69-year-old man died Monday after his truck went down an embankment and filled with water in Yucaipa, about 80 miles (128 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Another accident in nearby Fontana killed a 23-year-old man after the car he was in crashed into a tow truck in the rain, the agency said.
The storm smashed or approached many rain and wind records across the state, with downtown Los Angeles recording its third-wettest two-day stretch since recordkeeping began in the 1870s. Between 6 and 12 inches (15.2 and 30.5 centimeters) of rain fell over the Los Angeles area.
All the water brought one silver lining: helping to boost often-strained water supplies, just two years after nearly all California was plagued by a devastating drought. Marty Adams, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, said more than 1 billion gallons of rain were captured for groundwater and local supplies.
This latest storms follow a string of atmospheric rivers that pummeled the state last year, leading to at least 20 deaths.
In 2018, a mudslide in Montecito, near Santa Barbara, destroyed 130 homes and killed 23 people, making it one of the deadliest in California history.
Crews rescued people from swift-moving water in various parts of Southern California, including 16 people and five cats in Los Angeles County alone, authorities said. About an hour’s drive east in San Bernardino, two homeless people were rescued Monday after spending the night on a small island in the Santa Ana River, and three others were helped after they climbed into a tree above raging floodwaters that submerged their vehicle.
Authorities also reported several spills of raw sewage into the Pacific and closed affected beaches.
Near the Hollywood Hills, dotted with multimillion-dollar homes, floodwaters carried mud, rocks and household objects downhill through Studio City, officials said. Sixteen people were evacuated, and several homes were severely damaged.
The phenomenon known as El Nino is expected to bring additional storms to California this year, caused by the temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide.
Many businesses said they will be feeling the effects of a sales downturn long after the storm has gone.
At The Flowerman in Pasadena, florist and owner Lou Quismorio said that this close to Valentine’s Day, he would typically have a “pretty crowded store.” He hopes customers return with the sun.
“I can’t really worry about it,” he said. “I’ve got over 8,500 roses in my cooler right now.”
In San Diego, Sabrina Biddle was cleaning up after a few leaks in her dance studio.
“Back to dancing, no more storm,” she said.
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Watson reported from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Christopher Weber, John Antczak and Damian Dovarganes in Los Angeles contributed.
Prentice Sinclair Smith a friend of home owner Dion Peronneau says she was awoken by the sound of cracking around 4 a.m. early morning Monday, as mudflow forced its way into her home in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. One of the wettest storms in Southern California history unleashed more than 300 mudslides in the Los Angeles area after dumping more than half of the city’s seasonal rainfall in just two days, and officials warned Tuesday that the threat hadn’t passed yet.
A first responder helps a resident evacuate from a neighborhood after a mudslide, Monday, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.
An SUV sits buried by a mudslide, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles. A storm of historic proportions unleashed record levels of rain over parts of Los Angeles on Monday, endangering the city’s large homeless population, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes and knocking out power for more than a million people in California.
An SUV towing a trailer lies in the rocks on the bank of Cajon Creek near Devore, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, after it was swept away in the floodwaters the night before.
Jeffrey Raines clears debris from a mudslide at his parent’s home during a rainstorm, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers took aim at Southern California, unleashing mudslides, flooding roadways and knocking out power as the soggy state braced for another day of heavy rains.
Mud and debris is strewn on Fryman Rd. during a rain storm, Monday Feb. 5, 2024, in Studio City Calif. The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers took aim at Southern California, unleashing mudslides, flooding roadways and knocking out power as the soggy state braced for another day of heavy rains.
A car is damaged by debris from a storm Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Studio City, Calif. The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers took aim at Southern California, unleashing mudslides, flooding roadways and knocking out power as the soggy state braced for another day of heavy rains.
Storm damage from mud, rock and debris flows along Lockridge Road in Studio City, Calif., has caused major damage to vehicles and houses in the area on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers took aim at Southern California, unleashing mudslides, flooding roadways and knocking out power as the soggy state braced for another day of heavy rains.
A man walks under heavy rain past temporary tents in Skid Row, one of the largest populations of homeless people in the United States on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. A storm of historic proportions dumped a record amount of rain over parts of Los Angeles on Monday, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes while people living in homeless encampments in many parts of the city scrambled for safety. Shelters were adding beds for the city’s homeless population of nearly 75,000 people.
A storm passes above the Golden Gate Bridge near Sausalito, Calif., Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. In Northern California, the storm inundated streets and brought down trees and electrical lines Sunday throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, where winds topped 60 mph (96 kph) in some areas.
People walk in the rain as a storm moves through with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background near Sausalito, Calif., Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. In Northern California, the storm inundated streets and brought down trees and electrical lines Sunday throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, where winds topped 60 mph (96 kph) in some areas.
Crews clean up the street in the 6900 block of E Deleon Street after a tree fell on a car during the storm in Long Beach, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. A powerful storm fueled by an atmospheric river is pounding Southern California, causing widespread flooding, turning hillsides into rivers of mud, knocking out power to many and leading to evacuation orders in some areas.
People walk in the rain near Sausalito, Calif., with the San Francisco skyline in the background Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. In Northern California, the storm inundated streets and brought down trees and electrical lines Sunday throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, where winds topped 60 mph (96 kph) in some areas.
Storm damage from mud, rock and debris flows along Lockridge Road in Studio City, Calif., has caused major damage to vehicles and houses in the area on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers took aim at Southern California, unleashing mudslides, flooding roadways and knocking out power as the soggy state braced for another day of heavy rains.
A couple walks in the rain on a pathway by the Golden Gate Bridge near Sausalito, Calif., Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. In Northern California, the storm inundated streets and brought down trees and electrical lines Sunday throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, where winds topped 60 mph (96 kph) in some areas.
A large mudslide which occurred at the intersection of Beverly Drive and Beverly Place in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles damaged homes and cars on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Rain is expected to continue in Southern California over the next 12 hours.
A firefighter walks past vehicles submerged by a mudslide Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.
Submerged vehicles are photographed after a mudslide, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.
A man carries an umbrella while walking in San Francisco, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. In Northern California, the storm inundated streets and brought down trees and electrical lines Sunday throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, where winds topped 60 mph (96 kph) in some areas.
A man walks his dog on the edge of the Los Angeles River, carrying stormwater downstream Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers battered California, flooding roadways and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands and prompting a rare warning for hurricane-force winds as the state braced for what could be days of heavy rains.
Two vehicles, one towing a trailer, sit in the rocks on the bank of a swollen Cajon Creek near Devore, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, after being swept away in the floodwaters the night before.
Riverside County Firefighters use a crane on a ladder truck to rescue people who became stranded on a small island in the middle of the Santa Ana River near Van Buren Street in Riverside, Calif., when the river waters rose due to rain on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Rising waters caused by heavy rain destroy encampments along the Santa Ana River near Van Buren Street in Riverside, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Riverside County Firefighters use a crane on a ladder truck to rescue people who became stranded on a small island in the middle of the Santa Ana River near Van Buren Street in Riverside, Calif., when the river waters rose due to rain on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Riverside County Firefighters and City Firefighters use a crane on a ladder truck to rescue people who became stranded on a small island in the middle of the Santa Ana River near Van Buren Street in Riverside, Calif., when the river waters rose due to rain on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
A woman, shielded with an umbrella, carefully crosses the flooded intersection at Foothill Blvd and Cactus Ave in Rialto, Calif., during a downpour, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
A traffic officer directs motorists after two were involved in a traffic collision at a busy intersection with nonworking traffic signals due to a power outage on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. A storm of historic proportions has unleashed record levels of rain over parts of Los Angeles. The weather is endangering the city’s large homeless population, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes and knocking out power for about 830,000 people in California.
Los Angeles Sheriff officers help two motorists involved in a traffic collision at a busy intersection with a non working traffic signals due to power outage on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. A storm of historic proportions has unleashed record levels of rain over parts of Los Angeles. The weather is endangering the city’s large homeless population, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes and knocking out power for about 830,000 people in California.
People suffering from homelessness set large tents next to the Emmanuel Baptist Rescue Mission on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. A storm of historic proportions dumped a record amount of rain over parts of Los Angeles on Monday, sending mud and boulders down hillsides dotted with multimillion-dollar homes. In contrast, people living in homeless encampments in many parts of the city scrambled for safety. Shelters were adding beds for the city’s homeless population of nearly 75,000 people.
In this photo provided by the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, a snow plow is used to clear snow in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 5 2024.
In this photo provided by the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, a truck is covered in snow in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
In this photo provided by the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, snowboarders negotiate a downhill in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Prentice Sinclair Smith a friend of home owner Dion Peronneau says she was awoken by the sound of cracking around 4 a.m. early morning Monday Feb. 5, as mudflow forced its way into her home in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
Braving the elements, Ismael Clazola carries his shoes as he crosses a flooded intersection at Foothill Boulevard and Cactus Avenue in Rialto, Calif., during a heavy rainstorm, Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
A mudslide scarred hillside is shown in the backyard of a home, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles. The mudslide occurred early Monday morning, Feb. 5.
Home owner Dion Peronneau recounts, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, how she was awoken by the sound of cracking around 4 a.m. Monday morning, Feb. 5, as a mudflow forced its way into her home early in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles.
Mud and debris as seen in the backyard of the home of Dion Peronneau, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles. Peronneau said she was awoken by the sound of cracking around 4 a.m. Monday morning, Feb. 5, as the mudflow forced its way into her home.
Roots of trees are revealed as mudflow forced its way down a hill into a home early Monday morning in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. One of the wettest storms in Southern California history unleashed more than 300 mudslides in the Los Angeles area after dumping more than half of the city’s seasonal rainfall in just two days, and officials warned Tuesday that the threat hadn’t passed yet.
In this photo provided by Big Bear Mountain Resort, snow covers a number of tables at the resort in Big Bear Lake, Calif., Tuesday Feb. 6, 2024. The resort has received three feet of new snow over the last week, with some of the heaviest periods of snowfall occurring last night.
In this photo provided by Big Bear Mountain Resort, people are surrounded by snow while riding a lift in Big Bear Lake, Calif., Tuesday Feb. 6, 2024. The resort has received three feet of new snow over the last week, with some of the heaviest periods of snowfall occurring last night.
Workers survey a mudslide Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.
City workers help to remove a eucalyptus tree that fell onto a house and over power lines along Bundy Drive in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. One of the wettest storms in Southern California history unleashed nearly 400 mudslides in the Los Angeles area after dumping more than half of the city’s seasonal rainfall in just two days, and officials warned Tuesday that the threat hadn’t passed yet.
City workers help to remove a eucalyptus tree that fell onto a house and over power lines along Bundy Drive in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. One of the wettest storms in Southern California history unleashed nearly 400 mudslides in the Los Angeles area after dumping more than half of the city’s seasonal rainfall in just two days, and officials warned Tuesday that the threat hadn’t passed yet.
Motorists drive through street flooding along Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
A couple walk in the rain with their dog along the Huntington Beach Pier on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Huntington Beach, Calif.
A geologist surveys a mudslide Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.
City workers help to remove a eucalyptus tree that fell onto a house and over power lines along Bundy Drive in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. One of the wettest storms in Southern California history unleashed nearly 400 mudslides in the Los Angeles area after dumping more than half of the city’s seasonal rainfall in just two days, and officials warned Tuesday that the threat hadn’t passed yet.
California Department of Corrections prisoners help sandbag homes along Gotera Drive in the Hacienda Heights section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
California Department of Corrections prisoners help sandbag homes along Gotera Drive in the Hacienda Heights section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
A man shields himself from the rain as he walks along the Huntington Beach Pier on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Huntington Beach, Calif.
California Department of Corrections prisoners help sandbag homes along Gotera Drive in the Hacienda Heights section of Los Angeles on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
Motorists drive through street flooding along Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024.
A car submerged by a mudslide Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles.
Trucks drive down a flooded street, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Lakeside, Calif. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of East San Diego county including Lakeside.
Vehicles drive on California State Route 163 over a flooded street Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in San Diego. The National Weather Service issued a brief tornado warning for parts of East San Diego county. The warning was cancelled shortly after it was issued, with forecasters explaining that the storm no longer appeared capable of producing a twister even if it briefly turned some San Diego streets into rivers.
A gas station attendant walks past gas pumps on a flooded street, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in Lakeside, Calif. A rare tornado warning was briefly issued for parts of San Diego County, including Lakeside.
Clouds form over downtown San Diego, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in San Diego. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of East San Diego county.
A property sits destroyed by a mudslide during a storm, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Beverly Glen area of Los Angeles.
A grand piano lays upside down at a property destroyed by a mudslide during a storm, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Beverly Glen area of Los Angeles.
A property sits destroyed by a mudslide during a storm, Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024, in the Beverly Glen area of Los Angeles.
