Los Angeles Experienced One Crazy Storm

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The rain left many flooded out or stuck due to mudslides.
  • Post category:News

A historic downpour hit Los Angeles and other parts of the state of California earlier this week, starting on Sunday, February 4 and going through to Tuesday, February 6. The storm came from an atmospheric river and included treacherous rain levels that led to severe damage in some places and even a few fatalities. Mudslides were in abundance, as were power outages throughout the state. By Monday night, approximately 710,000 people in the state had lost power.

Flash flood warnings were in effect around the state, with Governor Gavin Newsom also declaring a state of emergency.

A measuring station in downtown Los Angeles registered that by Monday afternoon, about half of the yearly average of rainfall, which is 14.25 inches, had already fallen in just 24 hours. The station had counted approximately 6.7 inches of rainfall. Sunday and Monday went down in history as the third wettest two-day period since 1877. The rainfall continued into Tuesday as well. While it did slow down in most places, the Los Angeles area was already thoroughly soaked through.

Through all of this, many buildings were destroyed by water damage, flooding, and/or mudslides. Some people not from California may hear about this level of rain causing this much damage and laugh at the thought of how dramatic it is. However, this is so dramatic as the infrastructure in California is not built to withstand this kind of weather. Cities and states all have built around the common weather issues of the area, so much of California is built with fires and earthquakes in mind. The unprecedented rainfall is growing increasingly more precedented over the years as a side effect of climate change.

By Monday afternoon, officials reported at least three deaths from the storm and numerous rescue missions.

In just Los Angeles County, 16 people had to have search and rescue come to rescue them from trapped vehicles or their homes. Additionally, about five cats were saved as well. In some areas, the water had gotten so deep and was moving so swiftly, people were getting sucked in very easily. At least two other unhoused people were rescued by search and rescue. These two were stuck outside overnight on a tiny island in the midst of the flooding.

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