Christmas deluge continues to slam Southern California, 3 people killed in floodwaters

A record-setting Christmas storm battering Southern California brought rushing floods that have already killed at least three people.

Water and debris, along with mudslides, have led to evacuation orders and water rescues as the deluge slams regions still recovering from wildfires earlier this year.

Three people have been killed, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared an emergency as of Wednesday, including flash flood warnings and evacuation orders. Road closures reported by the LA County Sheriff have triggered travel delays across the region.

The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation orders for communities up until the Los Angeles county line on Wednesday evening, as the area is slammed with mudslides and rushing water, worsened by the burn scars from earlier wildfires.

Evacuation orders were also issued for the Palisades, Sunset, Hurst, and Ridgewood areas, with the LAPD personally knocking on doors of vulnerable homes.

Officials told The Associated Press that 380 homes were given evacuation orders.

As of Christmas morning, the sky has cleared slightly, allowing for officials to prepare for the next bout of rain expected Thursday afternoon.

“It’s blue skies, no rain, so we’re using this time to reinforce our troops in the area to get ready for the next band of rain we’re expecting this afternoon and into tonight,” San Bernardino County Fire Department Public Information Officer Christopher Prater told The New York Post at around 9:30 a.m. local time.

Prater said no rescues were conducted overnight, but firefighters continue to patrol the San Debrardino area. Crews are continuing to use equipment to try to clear the roads, taking advantage of a break in the storm.

Flash flood warnings urging residents to get to higher ground and not to travel in flood waters have been issued by the National Weather Service for most of Southern California. Warnings were issued for Santa Barbara, Malibu and Topanga.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department rescued a 50-year-old man, alone with his cat and his dog, from the hood of a car in the Sunland-Tujunga neighborhood, and issued an evacuation order for the area on Wednesday evening.

The record-setting storm began on Christmas Eve and is predicted to dump many months’ worth of rain over just a few days, according to Tom Kines, Senior Meteorologist at Accuweather.

“The good news is once we get past tomorrow, the rain will definitely ease up out there, and there will be a stretch of sunnier and dry weather for several days,” Kines said.