California highway collapses due to Hurricane Hillary

Exit Tropical Storm Hillary Heavy rain in Southern Californiafrom the coast to the mountains and deserts of the interior Sunday night, prompting rescue operations in swollen rivers and forcing one of the nation’s largest school districts to cancel classes for Monday. Millions of people braced for more floods and mudslidesAs the storm began to weaken.

Hillary, L.; First tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, resulting in increasingly heavy rains falling on the region, with some mountainous and desert areas receiving more than half of the overall average precipitation in just one day. Such was the case at the Palm Springs desert resort, where nearly 3 inches of water fell Sunday night.

In September 1939, a tropical storm in California ripped railroad tracks, ripped homes off their foundations, and capsized numerous ships, killing nearly 100 people on land and at sea.

Meteorologists warn Dangerous flash flooding in Los Angeles and Ventura countiesFirefighters rescued 13 people from knee-deep water at a homeless camp along the flooded San Diego River. Meanwhile, rain and washed-up debris covered some roads and people were stranded in their cars in the stagnant waters. The crew used pumps to remove water from the emergency room at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage.

Southern Californians were battling flooded roads, mudslides, and fallen trees.

“Thank God, my family is okay,” said Maura Taura, after a three-story-high tree crashed into her daughter’s car but missed the family’s home in Los Angeles’ Sun Valley.

Southern California received another upset Sunday afternoon when A.J An initial magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck near Ojai, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles., according to the US Geological Survey, it was widely felt and smaller aftershocks followed. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or injuries, according to a dispatcher from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Hillary to a post-tropical storm early Monday, but warned that “catastrophic, life-threatening local flooding” was expected in parts of the southwestern United States on Monday. All coastal warnings have been suspended.

Sunday was the wettest day on record in San Diego, with 1.82 inches (4.6 centimeters), the NWS said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. The previous record was set on August 17, 1977, when 1.8 inches (4.5 cm) of rain fell in the area after Hurricane Doreen.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest school system in the country, said all campuses will be closed Monday, along with others in the region. San Diego Schools has postponed the first day of school from Monday through Tuesday.

(with info from ap)

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