LOS ANGELES – At least three people are dead and hundreds of landslides and mudslides have been reported in the wake of a powerful atmospheric river storm that lashed California with torrential rain and hurricane-force wind gusts over the past few days.
Southern California, including the Los Angeles area, felt the brunt of the storm, which brought catastrophic flooding due to the relentless rain that drenched the City of Angels.
Los Angeles received more than 7 inches of rain between Sunday and Monday – the third-highest two-day rainfall total on record. The city averages 14.25 inches of rain annually and received half of that total in just 48 hours.
Residents were urged to stay off the roads and not travel on Monday due to the storm’s effects, which led to the landslides and flooding that covered streets and highways across the region.
Several swift water rescues were made after vehicles attempted to drive across flooded roads and became stuck.
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More than 300 landslides and mudslides were reported in the Los Angeles area alone. According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, canyon roads north of Sunset Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive were hardest hit, and residents in those areas were advised to stay off the roads.
According to the LAFD, 307 mudslides were reported, and at least 35 buildings require inspection to ensure they are safe.
At least five buildings have been declared unsafe to enter, and seven others have received significant damage.
The Department of Public Works reported more than 250 fallen trees and branches and nearly 160 potholes that opened up on roads.
Thousands of first responders were prepositioned ahead of the storm, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a State of Emergency in eight counties to help support storm response and recovery efforts.
“Our first responders have been actively responding to this historic storm since yesterday afternoon,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Monday night. “I have spent time with our fire chief meeting with Angelenos impacted by the storm. The City has leapt into action to protect our most vulnerable Angelenos, and we will continue to work around the clock to help those in need throughout this storm.”
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While there are no reports of any atmospheric river storm-related deaths in Southern California, at least three people have been killed by the storm in Northern California, according to officials.
Police in the Northern California city of Yuba City, some 40 miles north of Sacramento, said they responded to a report that a tree had fallen on a man on Tres Picos Drive on Sunday.
According to police, it appeared as though the unidentified victim may have been using a ladder to try and clear the tree away from his home when it fell on top of him.
When officers arrived, they said they found the man under the large redwood tree and tried to revive him, but those attempts were unsuccessful, and he was pronounced dead.
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A second person was also killed when a tree fell onto their home in Boulder Creek.
Officials say that two people were inside when a tree fell onto the home. One was able to make it out, but a 45-year-old man was trapped inside and killed.
And in Sacramento County, a tree fell on a 41-year-old man on Sunday during the storm. He was transported to the nearby hospital, where he died due to his injuries.