California: Thunderstorms Cause Mudslides and Floods

While firefighters are still battling with big and small fires in California, the state is also confronted with heavy rains and mudslides. According to The New York Times, Carma Roper, a spokeswoman for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office said that, on Sunday, a mudslide caused damage to more than 50 homes. The residents from Independence, a small city on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, were evacuated and taken to a shelter.

Authorities said that the mudslide was caused by thunderstorms and was 300 yards wide and three feet deep. U.S. 395, which connects the Inland Empire region to Reno, Nev., was closed for several hours. The rain also caused flooding in the Sequoia National Forest, at the Erskine Creek Canyon in the town of Lake Isabella, causing the evacuation of about 75 homes.

Monday, crews continued to clean the mess while the California Highway Patrol helped vehicles which were along the single lane.

Joe Ramallo, a spokesman from the Los Angeles Aqueduct, said that the slide was very close to the aqueduct but it suffered no damage. Officials said that the fire which has been burning for the past three weeks in the Sequoia National Forest was also a cause of the flooding in Lake Isabella.

“When rain follows the fire this closely, there's no vegetation to stop or absorb it,” said Jim Whittington, a fire spokesman at Lake Isabella, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

The spokesman also said that an important street in the town was under about 2 feet of water. The water was black and had debris in it. According to the National Weather Service radar, Sunday’s storms dropped 3.2 inches of rain in two hours over parts of the fire. Officials issued flood warnings for areas of five counties.