California residents who endured flooding, mudslides and evacuations during a week-long onslaught of rain now have another problem: contaminated water and fouled beaches.
The rain washed waste, pesticides and bacteria into waterways, prompting health warnings. Four beaches were closed in Northern California’s San Mateo County, and another 12 miles of beach from Laguna Beach to San Clemente in Southern California’s Orange County were off-limits because of sewer overflows.
Numerous motorists were rescued from swamped cars during the days of rain, but one driver was killed. The body of Angela Wright (39) of Menifee was recovered from a car that was swept off a flooded road on Wednesday near Canyon Lake in Riverside County, the coroner’s office said.
While the rain has eased, the danger was not over for foothill residents living below wildfire-scarred hillsides.
“The ground is so saturated it could move at any time,” said Bob Spencer, spokesman for the Los Angeles county department of public works. The threat will remain for several weeks, he said.
The evacuation of more than 200 homes were ordered for more than 24 hours in La Canada Flintridge and La Crescenta, suburbs of Los Angeles below steep hillsides that burned in 2009 and where mudslides inundated homes and backyards in February.
After days of relentless rain, long-awaited sunshine was finally being forecasted for yesterday, but officials said Californians should resist the urge to head to the ocean.Experts normally recommend waiting 72 hours after a storm before getting in the water, though in this case some are saying five days might be wiser. The contamination in some areas could last for weeks because of the especially heavy rains.
Sixty people were rescued and more than 30 homes evacuated on Wednesday when water surged through Dove Canyon, a gated Orange County community.
In Highland, about 65 miles east of LA, two creeks overflowed, swamping as many as 20 homes in up to 3ft of mud. Some 100 residents were evacuated.
In San Diego, the first floor of the Premier Inn in the city’s Mission Valley flooded, forcing guests to the second floor where lifeguards were sent to rescue them, police said.