Rains slam SoCal
Joann Groff
Editor in Chief
Finally, a reprieve.
After a rare “rain day,” in which Pepperdine was closed for only the fourth time in history (as a result of a rainstorm in 1998 and fires in 1995 and 1993), the skies are blue — at least until the end of the weekend.
Unfortunately, missing classes Monday was not the only consequence of the record-breaking rain measured in Los Angeles County over the past five days.
As of press time, 25 people have been declared dead, and many more are missing as a result of flooding, traffic accidents and mudslides instigated by the storms ravaging the Southland.
Roads in almost every county of Southern California are closed, including frequently-traveled school routes through Malibu and Topanga canyons. Malibu Canyon Road re-opened Wednesday night.
The National Weather Service reports 17 inches of rain fell in downtown Los Angeles, more than any other 15-day period on record.
Aside from road closures, officials said one of the reasons school was cancelled is the high-risk of accidents on the already dangerous Malibu roads. According to the California Highway Patrol, the number of collisions recorded in L.A. County on Saturday, for example, is more than double that of the previous Saturday.
One man is dead after a car holding five sailed off Pacific Coast Highway into the ocean Sunday morning.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Randall Dickey said the driver was traveling approximately 50 mph when he lost control of the car, perhaps after hydroplaning.
“(The driver) hit something in the road, water or dirt, lost control and hit a power pole,” Dickey said. “The force sent the car over an embankment into the water.”
The accident took place at 7:30 a.m. at the 19000 block of Pacific Coast Highway, just south of restaurants like Charthouse, Reel Inn and Something’s Fishy.
Dickey said seatbelts made the difference.
“The four people wearing seatbelts were able to escape from the vehicle with help from the fire department and lifeguards,” Dickey said. “The one who was not wearing a seatbelt was ejected from the car and was killed.”
The driver and the other three passengers were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries.
Others who lost their lives because of the weather had no control over their fate.
Just 20 minutes up Highway 101, at least 10 are dead after a 30-foot mudslide swept the small seaside community of La Conchita.
Among the bodies found were the wife and three daughters, age 10, 6 and 2, of a local man who had left the home to pick up ice cream for his family.
More are said to be missing under the thick mud covering the town just north of Oxnard. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured La Conchita by helicopter yesterday morning, and declared a state of emergency in Ventura County, the same day the County Board of Supervisors voted to do the same in Los Angeles County.
“The key thing is to clean up the mess as soon as possible and to find the (missing) people,” Schwarzenegger told reporters after praising workers at the site. “The residents knew this was not the safest place, but they were very strong. The first thing they said was, ‘We will be back.’ I will help them to come back.”
Capt. Bill Monahan, head of the Los Angeles County Fire Department canine unit, said he had been up for four days straight working on rescue efforts elsewhere before he arrived in La Conchita.
“It’s been four days of death and destruction,” he told the Los Angeles Times.
Mudslides have claimed a house in Studio City and flooding in a local canyon swept a man to his death after he leapt into the river. An increased number of traffic accidents have killed some and injured many across the Southland, as well as at Pepperdine, where numerous students have been injured in collisions since the rains began.
But as the National Weather Service reports clear skies should stick around at least through the weekend, the focus has been on helping those in need and being as safe as possible, in the home and in the car.
Emergency preparedness officials at Pepperdine urge students to use caution when commuting to school. And according to police officials, that commute may not include some of the typical roads used in order to get to campus.
Officials at Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department said Caltrans has not projected a re-opening date for Malibu Canyon. Additionally, Tuesday afternoon, after crews blew up a 25-foot tall boulder that had crashed onto Topanga Canyon Road, blocking both lanes, they found excessive damage to the road under it. Leland Tang, Public Information Officer of the California Highway Patrol, said it won’t be opening for at least three or four weeks while repair work is done.
So it seems the beautiful, yet painstakingly long canyon, Kanan Road, will be the route taken by students living from the Valley to Thousand Oaks. Officers encourage practicing careful road safety, advising drivers to remain at slow speeds, use the breaks lightly, but firmly and stay focused on the roads, looking out for rocks, gravel, water or debris.
Submitted 01-13-04