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U.S. NEWS Friday 15 February 2019
Mudslide sweeps house off hill as storm pounds California

By TERENCE CHEA and several other roads were Nearly 37 percent of Cali-
JOHN ANTCZAK closed because of flood- fornia had no level of
Associated Press ing and debris. "I'm glad I drought or abnormal dry-
SAUSALITO, Calif. (AP) went to the grocery store ness, the U.S. Drought
— Waves of heavy rain yesterday." Monitor reported Thurs-
pounded California on The risk of flooding led of- day. About 10.5 percent of
Thursday, washing away ficials to order people out the state was in moderate
a mountain highway, trig- of areas burned bare by drought, just over 1.6 per-
gering a mudslide that de- a summer wildfire in the cent was in severe drought.
stroyed homes, and forcing Santa Ana Mountains, with The remainder was in the Southern Marin Fire Department members search a crushed
residents to flee communi- flash flood warnings blan- abnormally dry category. house in the aftermath of a mudslide that destroyed three
ties scorched by wildfires keting a huge swath east The numbers reflect data homes on a hillside in Sausalito, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019.
last year. and south of Los Angeles. gathered up to Tuesday.q Associated Press
The powerful system swept Authorities also told parts
in from the Pacific Ocean of artsy Laguna Beach to
and unleashed damaging evacuate, while the desert
rain, snow and wind across resort city of Palm Springs
the U.S. West into Wyoming, urged residents to stay
Montana and Colorado where they were because
after walloping Northern of flooded streets. Flood
California and southern Or- advisories extended east
egon a day earlier. to Arizona.
The National Weather Ser- Swift water rescue teams
vice reported staggering plucked motorists from
rainfall amounts across Cal- cars trapped in flooded
ifornia, including more than intersections across inland
9.4 inches (24 centimeters) Southern California. Three
over 48 hours at one loca- people clung to trees with
tion in the San Bernardino three dogs before being
Mountains east of Los An- rescued along the Santa
geles. Ana River.
A mudslide in Sausalito, Weather was so severe
north of San Francisco, bar- that the Hollywood Walk of
reled over cars, uprooted Fame had to postpone the
trees and sent a home slid- dedication of a sidewalk
ing down a hill and smash- star honoring the band
ing into another house. Aerosmith. Knott's Berry
A woman was rescued Farm and Six Flags Magic
from the splintered wreck- Mountain theme parks
age with only cuts and closed.
bruises. Susan Gordon was Trouble also persisted in
buried under a tree and saturated Northern Cali-
mud for two hours while fire fornia, where thousands
crews dug her out, her son of people lost power and
wrote on an online fund- flood warnings were in ef-
raising page. fect for a large area of the
Chris Parkman said it's upper Central Valley and
been years since a storm so around the San Francisco
powerful has hit the hillside Bay Area. Downtown San
community, where at least Francisco saw more than
50 properties were evacu- 1.75 inches (4.4 centime-
ated. ters) of rain over 24 hours.
"We don't see the rain most A flooded creek led au-
of the year, so most of the thorities to urge about 300
year you feel safe. But residents to leave a com-
when the big storms come, munity some 20 miles (32 ki-
your safety factor is gone," lometers) west of Paradise,
he said. a town destroyed last year
A deluge southeast of Los by the nation's deadliest
Angeles washed away wildfire in a century.
a section of a two-lane The storm followed more
mountain highway. Photos than a week of severe
by the state Department weather in the Pacific
of Transportation showed Northwest and was the
about 75 feet (23 meters) latest in a series of storms
of pavement complete- that has all but eliminated
ly collapsed along State drought-level dryness in
Route 243 near the remote California this winter. It's
community of Idyllwild. fueled by an atmospheric
"We're basically stranded river — a plume of moisture
right now," said resident stretching across the Pacif-
Gary Agner, adding that ic Ocean nearly to Hawaii.