AS THE RAIN FALLS STORMS WASH AWAY ROADS, HOMES, RUNWAYS.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer A record-shattering storm slammed Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, for a sixth straight day Tuesday, triggering mudslides and tornadoes and forcing more road closures, but forecasters predicted it would wane today before a new storm moves in Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. . Officials put the statewide death toll from the current storms at nine, while damage mounted into the tens of millions of dollars. Six deaths were reported in Southern California, three in Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern . Still, there was hope for a reprieve today from what already has become the fourth-wettest year on record. ``It is still spawning some showers and some thunderstorms thunderstorms a storm characterized by thunder and lightning caused by strong rising air currents; identified as agents of animal disease because of their involvement causing (1) spasmodic colic; (2) lightning strike; (3) injuries of cattle acquired in stampedes initiated by storms. , but it's not going to be continuous rain for everyone, everywhere,'' said Jayme Laber, a hydrologist hy·drol·o·gy n. The scientific study of the properties, distribution, and effects of water on the earth's surface, in the soil and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere. with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. ``You might even see some blue skies.'' Sagging, sodden sod·den adj. 1. Thoroughly soaked; saturated. 2. Soggy and heavy from improper cooking; doughy. 3. Expressionless, stupid, or dull, especially from drink. 4. Unimaginative; torpid. v. hillsides collapsed throughout the city Tuesday, sending homes skidding down slopes and causing a swimming pool to slide into a neighboring home in Bel-Air. Tuesday's damage toll added to the death and devastation seen earlier in the storm. Two men died in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , including Rory Shaw, 47, a Los Angeles civil engineer who died after being swept into sinkhole sinkhole or sink or doline Depression formed as underlying limestone bedrock is dissolved by groundwater. Sinkholes vary greatly in area and depth and may be very large. in Sun Valley, and Robert Wickham, 61, who died when a mudslide ripped into the bedroom of his home in Woodland Hills. Other Southern California deaths include 16-year-old Caitlin Oto, who was killed in the rural Silverado Canyon area east of Irvine when large boulders crashed into a wall as she did her homework, and three others who died in traffic crashes in San Bernardino and San Diego counties. The storm has brought more than 9 inches of rain to Hansen Dam and Chatsworth Reservoir, exceeding the normal rainfall for an entire season. More than 8 inches of rain has fallen in Van Nuys and downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or since Thursday. Between 16 inches and 21 inches of rain has fallen in the local foothills and mountains. In Ventura County, the flood-swollen Santa Clara River Santa Clara River may refer to:
``It ate away a good portion of our airport,'' said Pat Quinn, the airport's emergency director. ``We've lost about 200 feet of runway so far, and it's not the end of the runway, it's in the middle. We're in big trouble here.'' Roads throughout Los Angeles and Ventura counties remained closed by mudslides Tuesday, and train service between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, suspended by a mudslide in Moorpark, will not resume until at least Thursday, Amtrak Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corp., authorized to operate virtually all intercity passenger railroad routes in the United States. Amtrak was created by Congress in 1970 in response to more than two decades of continuous operating deficits by privately run officials said. Storms have caused $52.5 million in damage to Los Angeles County roads and facilities since the beginning of the year, said Donald Wolf, interim director of the Public Works Department Many governments worldwide have had departments or ministries referred to as the Public Works Department either formally or informally. In Australia: - New South Wales -
The county has spent $9 million on repairs, including $500,000 since the weekend, Wolf said. The storm has also stretched emergency workers nearly to the limit. ``We've rescued a number of people from their cars because of flooding, we've dealt with trees down, we've dealt with high-tension lines down, we've had to shut down gas lines, pretty much everything you can imagine,'' said Jim Wells, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. . City inspectors have condemned 23 homes because of storm damage, and 69 others have been yellow-tagged, meaning they can be occupied only during daytime hours, said Linda Aparicio, a spokeswoman for the city's Public Works Department. Residents will have only the barest reprieve before a new storm system rolls into the region this weekend, Laber said. Another storm is expected next week. More than 33 inches of rain has fallen in downtown Los Angeles since July 1, the fourth-wettest winter on record and just over 5 inches shy of the record set in the winter of 1883-84. ``We're closing in on some all-time rainfall totals here,'' Laber said. ``And we still have March.'' Mayor James Hahn called on the state on Tuesday to extend the state of emergency to help clean up. ``A lot of people are going to be shocked to find out their insurance doesn't cover this damage,'' Hahn said. ``That's why it's important for us to extend the emergency period to make funds available.'' Hahn sent a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make the declaration, which is the first step in getting federal aid to the area. Hahn estimated the city has suffered an additional $10 million in damage from the past week of storms. Earlier storm damage was estimated at some $80 million. Hahn toured several areas of the city hardest hit by the storms and noted it caused so much damage to some areas that homeowners might not be able to rebuild. The yawning sinkhole on Tujunga Avenue in Sun Valley that began as a pothole pothole, in geology, cylindrical pit formed in the rocky channel of a turbulent stream. It is formed and enlarged by the abrading action of pebbles and cobbles that are carried by eddies, or circular water currents that move against the main current of a stream. grew to a 150-foot-diameter, 30-foot-deep crater Tuesday, and it was unclear when city officials would be able to begin repairs. City Public Works spokeswoman Cora Jackson Fossett said crews can't fully investigate the site until rains subside. But Councilman Tony Cardenas, whose district includes the site, said theories point to a cracked underground pipe that initially caused the earth to give way. The problem intensified, he said, as soil flowed underground to a former gravel pit next door. ``Eventually the material started escaping into there,'' Cardenas said. ``That's why the hole is growing so large.'' Without a storm-water collection system in that area, water continued to pummel pum·mel tr.v. pum·meled also pum·melled, pum·mel·ing also pum·mel·ling, pum·mels also pum·mels To beat, as with the fists; pommel: The angry crowd pummeled the thief. the area instead of getting diverted, he said. Staff Writers Rick Orlov and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this story. Andrea Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3669 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos, 3 boxes Photo: (1 -- color) Officials ordered the evacuation of four homes in Highland Park on Tuesday after part of the hill gave way in the rains. Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press (2 -- color) General contractor Matt Staben prepares to dump a load of rocks into the Santa Clara River on Tuesday to shore up its banks. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer Box: (1) L.A.'S WETTEST YEARS (2) ABOVE AVERAGE SOURCE: National Weather Service (3) WHAT CAUSES LANDSLIDES SOURCE: U.S. Geological Survey Warren Huskey/Staff Artist |
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