Final push of rain threatens to cause more flooding and debris flows in California

CNN

By Andrew Freedman, Hanna Park, Alaa Elassar, CNN

(CNN) — A final round of heavy rain is drenching California Friday and threatening to bring more flooding and debris flows after a days-long deadly siege of storms.

The waves of storms have killed at least four people in California since last weekend. The Christmas holiday storms have forced evacuations and more than 100 rescues, with some alerts still in place until Friday afternoon across parts of Southern California.

Another 1 to 3 inches of rain is expected Friday on top of the month’s worth that has already fallen. That’s less than in recent days, but the already saturated ground can’t take much more, and a Level 2 of 4 risk for flooding rain has been issued for more than 18 million people in Southern California by the Weather Prediction Center.

The rain and heavy snow in the mountains should wrap up by Saturday, but there’s still one more active day ahead.

Here’s the latest:

• Homes encased in mud: Flooding, mud and debris flowed into Wrightwood Wednesday, a community in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles, encasing homes and cars in feet of mud. Some residents had to be rescued from inundated cars and by helicopter from the roofs of homes, officials told CNN. A child suffered minor injuries, but no other injuries or fatalities have been reported. Evacuation warnings were lifted Friday evening, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept. said, but warned “many affected areas still have significant damage.”
• Deadly storm: At least four people have died in California since the storms began last weekend. Nineteen-year Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office veteran James Caravallo died while driving to work Wednesday after losing control on a wet roadway and crashing into a power pole, the state highway patrol said. A 61-year-old San Diego man also died Wednesday when high winds from the storm toppled a tree onto him. The victim’s daughter-in-law, who spoke with CNN affiliate KFMB but asked not to be named, described him as an “elderly, loving man” who “was always helping his family.” Two other deaths were reported in Northern California.
• Evacuation orders extended in LA: Los Angeles County extended evacuation orders for a few hundred specific homes deemed most at risk in burn scar areas until 1 p.m. Friday with more rain moving across the area. Many chose not to leave ahead of the storms, according to the Los Angeles Police Chief.
• Rescues continue in Los Angeles County: A helicopter crew with the Los Angeles City Fire Department rescued a woman swept downstream in a rapidly flowing wash in the Arleta neighborhood Friday morning. During the previous days of flooding, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported rescuing “over 100 people,” according to a Thursday Facebook post.
• Feet of mountain snow: Feet of additional snow is expected in the Sierra Nevada Friday and feet of it have already fallen after a slow start to the vital snowpack in the state. Major travel impacts are expected for anyone attempting to navigate the mountain range, according to the Winter Storm Severity Index.
• Avalanche in eastern Sierra: An avalanche injured two ski patrollers around 7:30 a.m. PT Friday on Lincoln Mountain in the eastern Sierra Nevada, according to the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area resort. “One patroller sustained serious injuries” and is being taken out of the area for further care and the second may have broken bones, the resort said. The ski area will be closed Friday. Over 5 feet of snow has fallen in the area since Tuesday.

Neighbors pull together after Christmas flooding

On Christmas Eve, Cody Burgess watched a Los Angeles County Fire helicopter rescue his neighbors from their rooftops as floodwaters swept through their Piñon Hills neighborhood in San Bernardino County.

Burgess described seeing mud and water pouring from the homes’ windows. “There was no way for any of the firefighters to get to them on foot,” Burgess told CNN.

The three people rescued were unharmed, Burgess said. While his own home was not affected, he was left without water and internet and the floodwater caused significant damage to the neighborhood’s main road.

Residents in nearby Wrightwood spent Christmas navigating flood‑damaged homes after mud and debris surged through the mountain community, partially burying cars and homes — some nearly to the roof.

“I can literally walk onto my roof, the second-floor roof, from my backyard,” Misty Cheng told CNN affiliate KABC. She was out of town when the storm hit but came back on Christmas after a neighbor sent her video showing her property rapidly flooding “like a rushing river.”

Areas where Kaitlyn Johnson lives are also buried in feet of mud. She told KABC what started as “a little bit of flooding on the street” became “very alarming, very fast.” The floodwaters “tripled in size,” eventually breaking through a fence and inundating her home.

Emergency officials who worked through the night helping residents acknowledged the unfortunate timing and impact on the Christmas holiday.

“San Bernardino County Fire is devastated that many families are unable to be home together this Christmas due to the ongoing impacts of this incident,” the county fire department said in a statement on Christmas Eve night.

Cheng called the flooding “literally the nightmare before Christmas” and said she was devastated when she got to her home on Christmas Day.

“I just broke out in tears … to have five feet of pure dirt and rock inside my house, in my garage, in my backyard, halfway up my windows,” she told KABC.

During the flooding, a gas station and a coffee shop running on generators served as hubs for some in the town of about 5,000, the AP reported.

Meyers marveled at the support community members showed one another, describing how her call for help to a friend with a Jeep quickly snowballed to about eight people offering to step up.

“And that, to me, is the beauty of this town,” Meyers told the AP. “This community, whether it’s floods or fires or now this, they really pull together and they’re out helping each other.”

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CNN Meteorologists Chris Dolce and Mary Gilbert and CNN’s David Williams, Eric Levenson, Cindy Von Quednow, Diego Mendoza and Dakin Andone contributed to this report.