Evacuation orders and road closures in effect Wednesday in Southern California
Evacuation orders and warnings across Southern California were starting to lift by Wednesday as rain from a mega atmospheric river storm that has drenched the region this week began to ease.
However, officials still urged residents to remain cautious as intermittent showers are expected to linger across the Southland through Wednesday night. Those showers at times could cause heavy downpours, prompting concerns about mudslides, additional flooding and debris flows.
The storm forced authorities in some areas to impose evacuation orders, which carry the force of law, and require residents to leave the area right away because of an immediate threat to life. An evacuation warning is an alert about a potential threat to life or property, and leaving the area is voluntary.
Los Angeles County
Residents in La Tuna Canyon had been under an evacuation order for days that was lifted late Tuesday.
An evacuation warning remains in place in Culver City’s Upper Crest and Culver Crest neighborhoods. The warning will be in effect through Wednesday and extends to residents on the following streets:
- Cranks Road (Tellefson Road to St James Drive)
- Tellefson Road (Cranks Road to Stubbs Lane )
- Ranch Road (Tellefson Road to Cranks Road)
- Stubbs Lane (in its entirety)
- Lugo Way (in its entirety)
- Youngworth Road (Ranch Road to Flaxton Street)
- Flaxton Street (Youngworth Road to Drakewood Ave)
- Drakewood Avenue (Ranch Road to Northgate Street)
- Bernardo Road (Tellefson Road to the end)
Some regions with wildfire burn scars received evacuation warnings, instructing residents to leave immediately if they needed extra time to evacuate or had animals that need shelter. The warnings, which remain in effect on Wednesday, include:
- The Juniper Hills and Valyermo areas hit by the Bobcat fire
- The Lake Hughes and King Canyon areas hit by the Lake fire, particularly the 20000 block of Pine Canyon Road, the 18000 block of Ellstree Drive, the 46000 block of Kings Canyon Road, the 18000 block of Newvale Drive and the 43000 block of Lake Hughes Road
- Topanga Zone 4 in the northeastern part of the canyon affected by the Owen fire
- The area along Soledad Canyon Road east of Agua Dulce Canyon Road affected by the Agua fire
According to L.A. County officials, shelters are available in two places: ONEgeneration at 18255 Victory Blvd. in Reseda and Marie Kerr Park at 39700 30th St. West in Palmdale.
Large and small animals can be taken to the Agoura Animal Care Shelter at 29525 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills and the Castaic Animal Care Center at 31044 Charlie Canyon Road in Castaic.
Ventura County
An evacuation warning is in effect for:
- The unincorporated region around Ojai, Matilija Canyon, North Fork and Camino Cielo. There is no access to the area due to the storm damage, according to emergency officials. Officials are expecting road repairs to take about a week.
Orange County
Voluntary evacuation warnings remain in place Wednesday for the following Orange County canyons:
- Silverado
- Williams
- Modjeska
- Trabuco
For more information, call 211. Residents who need shelter are encouraged to make arrangements with relatives or friends, or by calling the American Red Cross at (855) 891-7325.
Road closures
A list of road closures as of Wednesday morning included:
- Near Dodger Stadium just north of downtown Los Angeles, the onramp from Riverside Drive to the southbound 5 Freeway.
- In north Lancaster, Avenue H from 40th Street to 50th Street East is closed because of flooding. Also in Lancaster, 45th Street West from Avenue K to Avenue K-8 is closed after the storm caused the pavement to fail.
- Near Lake Los Angeles, 110th Street East from Avenue K to Avenue K8 remains closed due to flooding. 110th Street East from Avenue K8 to Avenue I and Avenue S from 150th Street East to 152nd Street East and Palmdale Boulevard from Longview Road to 165th Street East is also closed because of flooding. It is not clear when the roads will reopen.
- The southbound 5 Freeway to southbound 110 Freeway interchange is closed.
- In the Sepulveda Basin, Burbank Boulevard is closed between the 405 Freeway and Balboa Boulevard. Woodley Avenue is closed between Burbank and Victory boulevards. The intersection of Hayvenhurst Avenue and Burbank Boulevard is also closed.
- Mulholland Drive is closed between Skyline Drive and Bowmont Drive.
- In the Angeles National Forest, snow and icy conditions closed Angeles Forest Highway from the 2 Freeway to Aliso Canyon Road, Big Tujunga Canyon Road from Vogel Flat Road to Angeles Forest Highway, and Glendora Ridge Road from Glendora Mountain Road to Mt. Baldy Road. It is not clear when the roads will reopen, according to Los Angeles County Public Works.
- In Hacienda Heights, portions of Gotera Drive are closed due to mudslides.
- In Sun Village, Palmdale Boulevard from 80th Street East to 90th Street East remains closed to traffic after it flooded.
- In Castaic, Lake Hughes Road from Pine Canyon Road to Dry Gulch and Pine Canyon Road from Lake Hughes Road to Three Points Road is closed after mudslides.
- In Littlerock, Avenue T from Longview Road to 165th Street East is closed indefinitely because of flooding.
- In Rancho Dominguez, a small sinkhole has closed Susana Road from Maria Street to Reyes Avenue through Thursday morning.
- In Altadena, Chaney Trail from Alzada Road to Millard Canyon Campground remains closed through early Thursday.
- In Anaheim, flooding has closed the northbound 57 Freeway onramp near Ball Road.
- In Huntington Beach, Pacific Coast Highway remains closed in both directions between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Street.
- In and out of Ojai, State Route 33 is closed indefinitely in both directions from Fairview Road to the Ozema Fire Station by mudslides. A video of the area showed chunks of mud and rocks strewn across the road.
Sandbags
If you need sandbags to protect your home or property, the Los Angeles County Fire Department makes empty sandbags available free to residents at all of its stations, with free sand to fill them at selected locations. To find sandbags and sand near you, go to the county Public Works website or check out this list from the Fire Department.
In Orange County, sand and sandbags are available from certain fire stations, the county yard and some city public works departments. A list with links is on the Orange County Fire Authority’s website.
In Ventura County, two dozen fire stations offer free sandbags for residents, although you’ll have to fill them yourself. The Ventura County Fire Department website has a list of participating stations. The Ventura County Public Works Department also offers a list of retailers that sell sandbags, along with instructions for how to fill and handle sandbags safely.
In San Bernardino County, residents can obtain free, empty sandbags at fire stations across the county, although only some of those stations also offer sand. To find a station near you, consult the list on the San Bernardino Fire Protection District website.
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.