Earthquake hits Southern California, residents urged to hunker down ahead of historic storm
PALM SPRINGS (CBSNewsTexas.com) - In Southern California, people are bracing for what could be a once-in-a-lifetime event, now a double whammy with a confirmed quake.
People in Los Angeles and surrounding areas are bracing for rainfall of up to an inch per hour, along with power outages and mudslides. A magnitude 5.1 earthquake registered about 4 miles southeast of Ojai in Ventura County at 2:41 p.m. Sunday.
"Los Angeles has been tested and so far Los Angeles is passing that test with flying colors," said Paul Kerkorian, the Los Angeles City Council President.
No significant damage from the earthquake has been reported.
"There's really no way that what's going on in the storm would be affecting the rate of earthquakes," said seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones.
Hilary is expected to blast into LA during the early evening hours.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged residents to hunker down.
"This is an unprecedented weather event," Bass said. "Avoid unnecessary travel. Make sure your emergency kit and essential devices are on hand and ensure that all of your devices are charged."
People emptied store shelves in anticipation of the storm and braced for power outages.
"Stay safe, stay informed, and stay home," said Bass. "The worst of the rains is potentially yet to come."
Several mountain communities are under evacuation orders because of the potential for mudslides and officials are warning people of flash flooding. The LA river, usually a trickle, is now raging.
Along the coast, crews erected beams on the beaches and residents in Long Beach scrambled to fill sandbags.
"I'm afraid people might die," said Eugenie Adler, a Long Beach resident. "Flooding where people lose some property is one thing, but flooding where people die is another."
Farther inland, the deserts may see a year's worth of rain in one day. Police in Palm Springs preemptively shut down roads because rainfall from the mountains will turn the washes into raging rapids.
People filled sandbags, anticipating a deluge.
"It comes right over the mountain and just hits us," said Palm Springs resident Ron Lewis.
The Palm Springs Fire Department has 11 Swift Water Rescue crews staged.
"The desert goes from zero to 100 quickly," said Capt. Nathan Gunkel, with the Palm Springs Fire Dept. "We have a big history here unfortunately of people going around the barricades. What they don't understand, the water, the whole road's washed out below it and it could be three, four feet deep."
Some aren't letting Hilary impact their weekend though.
People are visiting Disneyland and surfers are taking advantage of the waves. Las Vegas, where heavy rain is expected next, is also open for business, even after the Nevada governor declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm's impact there.
Forecasters say the storm will move through fast but the overall impact of this rare weather event has yet to be determined.
