Deadly California rains prompt evacuations in areas devastated by wildfires
Los Angeles — At least six people are dead after torrential rains flooded roadways, downed trees and sent massive boulders tumbling down hillsides in California. A boulder severely injured a hiker in Malibu and emergency workers found their vehicles pummeled by rocks.
Neighborhoods scorched by recent wildfires were evacuated and some streets looked more like rivers in Malibu. Further east, debris from one of the burn areas rushed through a community, but caused only minor damage.
As CBS News correspondent Don Dahler reports, four days of heavy rains has raised concern that the ground underneath houses along the canyons has been saturated and weakened, posing a risk not only for them but also for the houses down below.
California's two largest utilities also reported a combined 70,000 customers lost power throughout the state. Pacific Gas & Electric said about 68,000 of its Northern California customers were in the dark Thursday, after 220,000 customers lost electricity since Wednesday.
Up in the mountains, there's nearly five feet of new snow. But forecasters say the monster storm is now heading east.