BIG, NEW STORM BEARING DOWN ON ALREADY SATURATED REGION.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff WriterA massive storm brewing off the coast is threatening to dump up to 5 inches of rain in 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, today, officials said. The National Weather Service predicted that the brunt of the downpour would hit today, but rain could last through Tuesday. ``It's one of the biggest ones we've seen this year,'' said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist for the Oxnard-based service. ``It's really wild.'' A flood watch issued for tonight covers most of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , Ventura and Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. counties. ``The main problem here is that the ground is already saturated because of the recent rain,'' Seto said. ``Any of the snow up in the mountains that gets hit by rain could melt and come on down into the catch basins that feed the rivers and streams, too.'' To cope with potential problems, 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. is fine- tuning its readiness. Los Angeles has more than 470 miles of flood control channels Flood control channels are a series of large, concrete, and empty (except when a flood is actually present) open-air channels that extend a ways below the street levels of some larger cities, so that if and when a flood occurs, the flood will run into the channels, and proceed to be , which quickly become dangerous in wet conditions. ``We don't expect this to be the storm of the century, but we think that prudence is needed whenever a storm system approaches,'' said Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. ``We've taken this brief respite between storms to assess our members and facilities to make sure we're prepared on and off duty,'' he said. Sandbag Sandbag A stalling tactic used by management to deter a company that is showing interest in taking them over. Notes: The company stalls in hopes that a more favorable company will take them over. supplies have been replenished at all fire stations, and the department's Web site, www.lafd.org, has been updated to prominently feature flood control information. If more than an inch of rain falls - and according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. NWS NWS National Weather Service NWS Naval Weapons Station NWS New World Symphony NWS Nuclear Weapon State NWS Not Work Safe NWS National Watercolor Society NWS North Warning System NWS Nose Wheel Steering NWS National Waste Strategy (UK) , it almost certainly will - then four swift-water rescue teams will be deployed across the city to guard flood channels, and helicopter units will be placed on heightened alert. If this precipitation isn't enough, there's more around the corner. Seto said that showers should wrap up by Wednesday, but Friday brings another chance of rain. Though this news isn't exactly comforting to most locals, not everyone's crying foul. As everyone else hears raindrops on rooftops, that translates into the ringing of cash registers for Recon 1, a camping supply retailer in Tarzana. ``We've been doing good business for the past few storms,'' manager Sako Rafaelian said. ``Right after the Seattle quake, we got very busy with people buying emergency equipment and rain gear, too.'' CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Chatsworth resident Victor Gondrez and date Kimberly Stevens enjoy the chilly ocean view at Point Mugu on Saturday. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News |
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