Hurricane Hilary Causes Flash Floods in Los Angeles
Hurricane Hilary caused flash flooding in Los Angeles, United States on Sunday, August 20, 2023, as the hurricane barreled through Mexico's Baja California peninsula with deadly force.
 |
| A driver whose car stalled out on flooded Avenue 48 gets bottled water from a passing motorist while waiting for help during tropical storm Hilary on August 20, 2023 in Coachella, California. (Photo: Gina Ferazzi | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images) |
One person was killed in Mexico amid reports of flash flooding on the peninsula, where several roads were swept away and pictures on social media showed torrents of water pouring into city streets turned into rivers.
State of emergency for most of Southern California
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for much of Southern California, with flash flood warnings in effect until at least 3 a.m. on Monday in areas more accustomed to drought.
Mountain and desert areas can get 12 to 25 cm of rainfall, as much as would normally happen in deserts in a year, forecasters said.
The first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles County since 1939 triggered serious flooding in the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city and coastal areas northwest of Ventura County.
Also, read: A magnitude 5.1 earthquake shakes Southern California amid Hilary threat.
The city of San Bernardino ordered the evacuation of several people in the mountains and valleys because of torrents of water and mud carrying rocks and trees.
In Wrightwood, California, about 112km northeast of Los Angeles, rain washed trees and mud down a hill in Sheep Canyon. Further east in Oak Glen — one of five San Bernardino County towns under evacuation orders — gushing floodwaters threw trees, mud, and rocks into the air.
To the west in more populous Ventura County, the National Weather Service warned of major flooding as up to 5cm of rain fell within two hours. The weather service reported the car was stuck in the Spanish Hills community.
Newsom, who is in Southern California, said Palm Springs, a desert getaway in Riverside County about 160km east of Los Angeles, was dry when he left on Sunday but an hour later had received the "most significant rainfall" over 60 minutes and flooded streets.
"That's how quickly the system moves. Don't take it lightly," Newsom told a news conference in Los Angeles after briefing U.S. President Joe Biden, who ordered federal agencies to move personnel and supplies to the region.
The storm shocked people in the nearby town of Rancho Mirage, where water and debris rushed onto a closed road and left at least one stranded pickup truck stuck in the water almost to the top of its tub.
"It's amazing. I've never seen anything like this," said Sean Julian, 54, of Rancho Mirage. "I saw more trees falling. And there is a big tree that just fell there, and I probably shouldn't be here."
DJ Hilton from neighboring Cathedral City said: "We've had storms before, but never had a breeze and rain at the same time."
At 8 p.m., Hilary was 170 km northwest of San Diego, causing winds of 75 kph and moving north-northwest, the weather service said.
Hundreds of flights in San Diego, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles were canceled, and professional sports events were rescheduled. The Los Angeles Integrated School District and San Diego Integrated School District, the state's two largest school districts, canceled classes for Monday. Dangerous waves are hitting beaches in Southern California.
Floodwater flows through the concrete banks of the Los Angeles River, which usually holds little water. In Ocotillo, a desert city about 140 miles east of San Diego, a rockslide carried large rocks down on Interstate 8, causing traffic jams on the highway to Arizona.
Hilary on Sunday made landfall in the northern part of Mexico's Baja California peninsula, where nearly 1,900 people were evacuated to shelters, according to the country's army.
The storm was particularly dangerous in low-income areas where many homes did not meet building codes.
"We are always aware that this is a risky area. Lots of water streams (nearby) but what are we going to do? That's the only place we have to live," said Yolanda Contreras, who lives in a flood-prone area. Rosarito, about 15 miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Source: Reuters