California storm: Possible tornado hit state while Los Angeles was under flash flood warnings
Risk of mudslides remained high
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Flash flood warnings were announced in parts of California early on Thursday amid reports of a possible tornado in the southern half of the state.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected to continue Thursday with widespread flooding risk including in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Pomona, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
A possible tornado was reported overnight in Grover Beach, southern California after warnings were issued late Wednesday.
The threat of mudslides remains high from the storm, which unleashed historic amounts of rain this week, leaving the ground saturated.
At least nine people have been killed from falling trees, car crashes, and being swept away in raging waters.
Community organisers told The Independent on Wednesday that Los Angeles’ storm response for the city’s large homeless population was “abysmal” and accused authorities of telling “bold-faced-lies”.
ICYMI: Four rescued after avalanche at Nevada ski resort
Four people who were reported missing after an avalanche at a Nevada ski resort have been found safe.
The avalanche hit the Lee Canyon ski resort on Monday in south Nevada, around an hour outside of Las Vegas.
Search and rescue teams from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were called to the site to try and locate several people who were reported missing.
They announced on X on Monday that four people were initially reported missing, but now everyone has been located and is safe, adding that they were assisting people off the mountain.
Lee Canyon has experienced about one to two feet of snow within the past two days and will be closed on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Amelia Neath has more...
Four rescued after avalanche at Nevada ski resort
Everyone has been accounted for after an avalanche hit a Nevada ski resort on Monday
Heavy cloudburst forecast for Wednesday
While the storm has eased and Southern California was expected to begin drying out in a day, a surge of heavy rain in a short period is expected over Los Angeles with some areas areas also expected to see a few inches of rain.
The forecast shows California can expect a sunny weekend, but saturated grounds means there is still some risk of mudslides on Wednesday.
California saw raw sewage spills amid heavy rain
On Monday, 1,000,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into California’s Dominguez Channel, which leads to the Pacific Ocean. Los Angeles County Public Health officials closed the Cabrillo Beach Ocean Waters in San Pedro as a result. The beach will remain closed until officials can conduct bacterial testing, officials said.
Meanwhile, two separate sewage spills have impacted beaches in Long Beach, California.
Approximately five million gallons of sewage spilled into the Dominguez Channel, subsequently running off into the Port of Long Beach and Compton Creek leading to the Los Angeles River, according to a statement from the City of Long Beach.
Another 40,000 gallons of sewage were also released into the City of Commerce in a separate incident, according to city officials.
“These spills occurred early this morning, prompting immediate action from local authorities,” the city’s statement reads. “The exact cause of the sewage spills is currently under investigation, with capacity issues due to heavy rains and potential sewer damage being considered as possible factors.”
ICYMI:San Diego officials warn of potential price gougers
Local government officials in San Diego urged residents to report any incidents of price gouging during the storm on essential items like housing, gas, food and other necessary supplies.
“Price gouging during a state of emergency is illegal. Here’s where to report it,” wrote San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, sharing a link on X.
Watch as speedboat takes dogs to safety after overflowing river trapped them
ICYMI: California flooding in pictures as ‘1 in 1000 year’ storm wreaks havoc
A historic storm has deluged California over the past three days, bringing record amounts of rainfall and hundreds of catastrophic mudslides.
The storm is a “1-in-1000 year” rainfall event with Los Angeles’ Westwood neighbourhood recording nearly 12 inches of rain in 24 hours, according to the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. The storm is the second major event in two weeks to strike the region, powered by an atmospheric river dragging in moisture from the ocean.
More than 300 landslides were reported in LA alone, the fire department said.
Forecasters predicted the rain will begin to ease later on Tuesday. However, the threat of flooding remains high as the ground is extremely saturated, the National Weather Service said.
See the shocking photos of storm damage throughout California:
Photos: ‘1 in 1000 year’ storm wreaks havoc in California
More than 300 mudslides in Los Angeles alone
‘It was mayhem’: Los Angeles residents survey damage caused by historic California storms
Firefighters responded to a heavy debris flow in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles on Sunday night, evacuating seven homes. Residents tell Mike Bedigan they had “not even remotely had anything like this before”.
Read the full story here:
‘It was mayhem’: LA residents survey damage caused by historic California storms
Firefighters responded to a heavy debris flow in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles on Sunday night, evacuating seven homes. Residents tell Mike Bedigan they had ‘not even remotely had anything like this before’
The power slowly comes back on in California
Power was being restored across California on Wednesday after nearly half a million households were left in darkness this weekend due to the severe storm.
Just over 69,000 customers were without power on Wednesday, mostly in the northern half of the state.
Those homes were located in the wine country counties of Napa and Sonoma, and then further south in Monterrey, according to utility tracker Poweroutage.us.
A cliffside collapse in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday has led to the evacuation of dozens of people. The oceanfront apartment complex in Isla Vista was left on the edge of the precipice following days of rain and strong winds pounded southern California.
Some 45 were evacuated, according to the local fire department, who shared drone footage of the incident. Video showed a guardrail tipping towards the ocean and cracked patio paving.
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