California storm: Possible tornado hit state while Los Angeles was under flash flood warnings
Risk of mudslides remained high
Flash flood warnings were announced in parts of California early on Thursday amid reports of a possible tornado in the southern half of the state.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected to continue Thursday with widespread flooding risk including in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Pomona, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.
A possible tornado was reported overnight in Grover Beach, southern California after warnings were issued late Wednesday.
The threat of mudslides remains high from the storm, which unleashed historic amounts of rain this week, leaving the ground saturated.
At least nine people have been killed from falling trees, car crashes, and being swept away in raging waters.
Community organisers told The Independent on Wednesday that Los Angeles’ storm response for the city’s large homeless population was “abysmal” and accused authorities of telling “bold-faced-lies”.
What are waterspouts?
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of waterspouts along the California coast — but what exactly are they?
Waterspouts are, essentially, like tornadoes that happen over a body of water, according to the NWS. There are two types: fair weather and tornadic waterspouts.
Tornadic waterspouts are exactly like tornadoes, except they form over water and sometimes move to land. or move from land to water, the NWS says. Fair weather waterspouts, on the other hand, form in light wind conditions, generally move less and dissipate quickly.
ICYMI: ‘Mountain was coming down’: Residents recall harrowing mudslides
The storm fuelled by the second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers to hit California in days brought over 500 harrowing mudslides in the state.
Some residents are cleaning up fallen trees and debris, while others say their homes are too damaged for them to live in.
Wendy Barron escaped her Hacienda Heights home during Tuesday’s historic downpours in Southern California. Her husband, Jesus Barron, told The Associated Press that he answered his wife’s panicked phone call warning him that a mudslide was smashing into their bedroom.
“She called me and told me the mountain was coming down,” he recalled on Wednesday. “I thought the worst.”
heir home was seriously damaged when mud flowed down the hillside and blasted through the two retaining walls the family built when they moved in seven years ago.
“It’s not enough to stop Mother Nature, of course,” Mr Barron said.
While the couple was able to retrieve some belongings, their house isn’t liveable, they say. Now, they need to decide whether they want to return once it’s repaired.
“We love it here,” Mr Barron said. “However, it wouldn’t be easy to go through this again.”
SEE IT: Community organisers cut up tarps for ‘storm kits’ for unhoused community
Community organisers have accused Los Angeles authorities of “bold-faced lies” and said the city’s response to its unhoused population during the recent catastrophic storms has been “abysmal,” The Independent’s Mike Bedigan reports.
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