Mud Slides! (California). . . .

[Bigsky770]

. . .As I post this, this is an ongoing story in Ventura County, "La Conchita" California. Authourities hours ago were attempting to evacuate some 200 residents from the closed community, when a "Wall of mud" (by the description of one reporter) came roaring off of the mountain and wiped-out at least 4 homes, trapped 12 vehicles, [from preliminary estimates] and has taken a number of lives. As this is a breaking story, you may not be able to 'google' much @ this early hour, turn to your ABC/NBC/CBS major network for early details to this story. Will post more as news becomes available.

- - -Submitted by Joe (Bigsky770) :eek:

[Bigsky770]

California Mudslide Kills at Least One

By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - At least one person was killed in southern California on Monday when a hillside saturated by days of heavy rain collapsed onto a neighborhood, possibly trapping or injuring dozens of others.

Rescue crews converged on the scene of the mudslide in the Ventura County community of La Conchita but said it was not immediately clear how many people may have been in the path of the dirt and debris. Some 15 to 20 homes were severely damaged.

Dramatic images on local television showed an avalanche of dirt, brush and rocks as the steep hillside gave way and residents ran for safety.

More @ this LINK:
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=3JX3UNC4M2QOYCRBAE0CF FA?type=domesticNews&storyID=7285210

- - -Submitted by Joe (Bigsky770)

[Bigsky770]

Major landslide hits homes
in Southern California

Up to 12 missing; storm hammers state, 4th day; deep snow buries Sierra Nevada


The Associated Press
Updated: 10:00 p.m. ET Jan. 10, 2005LA CONCHITA, Calif. - A huge mudslide crashed down on homes in a coastal hamlet with terrifying force Monday, killing at least one person and leaving up to 12 missing as a Pacific storm hammered Southern California for a fourth straight day.

Ventura County Fire Department Chief Bob Roper said at least six and as many as a dozen residents were missing in the mudslide that pummeled a four-block area of homes in tiny La Conchita, about 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Nine people were injured, including a 60-year-old man who was buried for three hours.

“It lasted a long time. It was slow-moving. The roofs of the houses were crashing and creaking real loud, and there was a huge rumble sound,” said Robert Cardoza, a construction worker who was clearing debris from a nearby highway.

The mudslide brought the number of dead from the latest wave of California storms to 10. The storms have sent rainfall totals to astonishing levels, turning normally mild Southern California into a giant flood zone.

The hillside in La Conchita cascaded down like a brown river as authorities were evacuating about 200 residents from the area. Trees and vegetation were carried away, leaving huge gashes of raw earth on the bluff above La Conchita, a slip of a town between a highway and a coastal bluff. Several houses were damaged by a mudslide here during powerful storms in the 1990s.

Some residents made their way from the area clutching pets, luggage or clothing as the huge mass of mud bore down. Some huddled together or cried as they talked on cell phones. Fifteen to 20 houses were hit by the slide.

Listening through rubble
Rescuers dropped listening devices into the rubble to try to locate victims before another downpour of up to 2 inches of rain was expected before dawn Tuesday.

The destruction at La Conchita was the worst disaster of the storms to date, but mudslides and flooding were reported throughout the region, blocking road and rail travel and forcing a shutdown of interstate petroleum supply lines.

The death toll also includes a 2-year-old girl who slipped from her mother’s grasp as rescuers tried to hoist them from a car submerged on a road outside Los Angeles. Avalanches killed two people in Utah and one in Nevada — a 13-year-old snowboarder who was swept off a ski lift to his death.

From the start of the latest dose of violent weather on Friday through midday Monday, several mountainous areas in Southern California had recorded more than 20 inches of rain, including 26 inches in Nordhoff Ridge in the Ventura County mountains.

The rain came on the heels of stormy weather that blasted the state earlier last week.

Rest of the story @this LINK:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6780872/

- - -Submitted by Joe (Bigsky770)

[cjpluss]

There has been some major flooding in Britain this week. The city of Carlisle has no power or water, and parts are still submerged in water. Mother nature is in a VERY bad mood this winter.

[Bigsky770]

. . .As well, here's an update on the situation:

Residents warned of more slides
Storm that ravaged Calif. slams Arizona, Nevada and Utah


NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 7:15 a.m. ET Jan. 13, 2005
LA CONCHITA, Calif. - Authorities warned residents of this coastal village Wednesday that a steep hill overlooking their homes remained unstable and that fresh mudslides were likely in the wake of a disaster that killed at least 10 people.
The warning came as rescue workers used shovels, high-tech cameras and their bare hands to search for any survivors trapped in the quickly hardening mud of Monday's slide.
In spite of the return of dry, sunny weather, officials said the danger of mudslides remained high. Meanwhile, the massive storm that triggered the slide was wreaking destruction in other Western states, destroying homes and washing out roads in Arizona, Nevada and Utah.
As the death toll from Monday’s 30-foot-high mudslide in La Conchita rose to 10 with the discovery of the bodies of a woman and three of her children in the wreckage of their home, officials called a town meeting at a Red Cross evacuation center in nearby Ventura to warn residents to stay away from their homes.

The rest of the story @ this LINK:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6780872/

- - -Submitted by Joe (Bigsky770)

[Bigsky770]

. . .Just rec'd this off the Internet. . .

Residents thought noise was earthquake
Neighbours stunned by roaring mudslide smashing into houses

Chad Skelton, Glenn Bohn and Maurice Bridge, with filesfrom Amy O'Brian and Joel Baglole
Vancouver Sun


Thursday, January 20, 2005
CREDIT: Mark van Manen, Vancouver Sun
Pipe Creek washed out part of Spencer Street in West Vancouver Wednesday.

In the hours before the mudslide hit, the weather in North Vancouver was much the same as it had been for the past three days: heavy, pounding rain.

At 3 a.m., Environment Canada's monitoring station at the airport was recording more than 2.5 millimetres of rain every hour -- considered heavy rain by the agency.

And while there is no comparable monitoring equipment on the North Shore, the agency says the geography of the Lower Mainland means that if it was raining hard at the airport, it was likely harder in North Vancouver.

At around 3:15 a.m., as the rain continued to fall, many residents of the Blueridge area were awakened by a strange sound.

"The roar of the slide and the cracking of the wood woke us up at about three o'clock," said Doris Murphy, who lives in the area with her husband Tom and their two small children. "It was loud -- it was very loud."

Rest of the story @ this LINK:
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/story.html?id=b02cf367-7dc5-4250-92e3-a1fa5f36e8bf

- - -Submitted by Joe (Bigsky770)

[Bigsky770]

. . .It's dark now in my room, and very
difficult to see my keyboard. Thing is, I don't wanna wake-up my wife, who after a hellish last-night of worry, has finally gotten some sleep. She had awakened me from my slumber, speaking of things I'd NEVER (in my wildest imaginings) had heard her mention/things and news-items 'more akin' to that which is discussed here. . . Being that it is that she was a one-time resident of California, she keeps up with the news, and is greatly concerned for those she is in communication with still in that area.

. . .As for myself, I never mention MUCH of that which is posted here; What purpose would it serve? excepting to cause herself worry beyond that which she cannot control? Anyway, out of a dead-sleep myself, she awakes me (rather startled) with the following conversation: "Honey! Honey! Wake-up! have you heard the news?" my reply was (groggily) "Honey, which news are you talking about??" "I hear so much?" To which, (she replies) "The tornadoes in Cali!" (she goes on to say:) "Sure, they were small, but who would've believed?" - -Needless to say, after her mention of "Tornadoes" I was now more fully awake; memories of the movie "The day after Tomorrow" started replaying scene-for-scene within my brain. Then a second set of realizations struck (as if) would it be so far-flung to believe that this movie was not a 'primer' for what was to be? Not to be finished with this, she asked me the QUESTION I'd always dreaded that one day, (inevitably) she would ask. "Honey, is the world ending?" I cannot say that I was not taken aback with the outright candor, this bombshell of a stated question was pause for thought in that one must ask "Are we?" although, your senses regain control and in every manner of speech one finds that they are capable of, you then quietly attempt to soften the blow to their psyche' that this represents; For we have been dealing with the possibility of it for years, ones such as her are only coming to the realization now, When forecasts by trusted weatermen fail them; When they are witness to things such as never have been seen before.

. . .I showed her Rynotek's posted LINK in the "Greenhouse Gases" thread, and also the article I'd located telling of the latest computer models that do nothing to paint an all-too-bright-future; What to do at this point? Lie to her and TELL HER all's fine/don't worry? She had every right to know just as I had stumbled upon all these years ago, so why not? She is sleeping comfortably now, I hope that she can deal with it as I did. Anyway, the news she was referring to is posted below:

Storms soak Calif., spawn two tornadoes

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Powerful thunderstorms hammered already saturated Southern California on Saturday with soaking rain and hail, flooding roads and homes, knocking out power to thousands of customers and raising the threat of mudslides.

A vehicle swerves to avoid a mud and rock slide Saturday on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Malibu, Calif.
By Stefano Paltera, AP

La Conchita, the coastal hamlet where 10 people were killed by a huge landslide last month, was a ghost town after the U.S. Geological Survey warned that none of the roughly 150 remaining homes could be considered safe.

In a year of record rainfall, the latest storms had soaked downtown Los Angeles with about 2 inches of rain since Thursday.

The area has seen nearly three times the average rainfall this season, and periodic showers are expected for several more days throughout the state.

"All of California's going to get a shot of rain in the next couple of days, but most of it will be from Santa Barbara south," said National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Anderson "That's the bull's-eye for the next two days."

The unsettled weather even produced two tornadoes that briefly touched down in San Diego and Riverside counties. Each lasted about two minutes, breaking windows, and knocking over trees and power lines. No injuries were reported.

"It's sort of a miniature version of what you might see in the Great Plains," said Steven Vanderburg, a National Weather Service forecaster in San Diego.

The storm knocked out power to thousands of customers in the area, according to Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Rain may also have contributed to a highway crash Saturday that injured 10 people in the San Fernando Valley, where a bus carrying tourists rear-ended a sport utility vehicle on the Ventura Freeway.

The Red Cross opened an emergency shelter in Long Beach, where residents had to evacuate seven homes because of flooding, spokeswoman Margaret Madonna said.

Amtrak canceled Los Angeles-to-Santa Barbara commuter rail service from Friday night through Sunday afternoon because of mudslides in Moorpark.

Mudslides also threatened homes in Culver City, in Los Angeles County, and in the Orange County cities of Mission Viejo and Anaheim, authorities said.

During the early morning, authorities shut down a two-mile stretch of Interstate 5 for several hours through the City of Commerce, south of downtown Los Angeles, because it was flooded by a foot of water. Similar flooding was reported along the 710 Freeway in Long Beach.

The weekend storm was expected to dump up to 2 feet of snow at higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, adding to an already impressive snowpack.

Story from this LINK:
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2005-02-19-calif-storms_x.htm?POE=NEWISVA

- - -Submitted by Joe (Bigsky770) :eek:

[DmoneyCustoms]

That is very impressive this weather is really getting wild all around the world and I feel for your wife going thru a bad time with such as having friends still in Cali I hope the best for the both of ya an her friends....... :scatter:

This weather pattern is so off i cant even begin to describe whats going on but as in the thread MM has got up on all the links to things that are going on its very impressive that so much is changing so fast such as Weather, Polar ice caps melting, The ice burges breaking apart melting, causing all the fresh water to dump into the sea which will eventually cause the oceans currents to change an so also the climate shall change greatly also, their is to much to list not to mention the Earthquakes an Volcanoes that are non stop hmmm Great Post Joeeeee :pimp:

[DmoneyCustoms]

Storms Not Yet Done With Soggy Southland

POSTED: 2:14 pm PST February 17, 2005
UPDATED: 6:29 pm PST February 19, 2005

LOS ANGELES -- The second wave of a three-stage storm came ashore early early Saturday, producing downpours and thunderstorms over the southern and central parts of Los Angeles County, and up to 15 inches of rain could fall through Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Complete story here http://www.nbc4.tv/weather/4209377/detail.html :yikes: :amaz:

[Bigsky770]

. . .As for my wife, (she and I) have both pretty much settled into the tasks of "Daily Life", being that they are. Still, I had come-across this news-item I thought I'd post here:

Storms Continue to Batter California
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: February 22, 2005
Filed at 11:15 p.m. ET

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Californians braced for even more rain Tuesday as they struggled to recover from storms that have left at least nine people dead, triggered mudslides and tornadoes, and washed away roads and runways.

Among the victims was a Nevada woman caught in an avalanche while cross-country skiing near Lake Tahoe, and a 16-year-old Orange County girl doing homework on a computer when a mudslide crashed through the wall of her home.

In Ventura County, officials closed the small Santa Paula airport Tuesday after more than 155 feet of runway collapsed into the rushing Santa Clara River. Chunks of concrete crumbled into the water throughout the day.

``We've lost nearly the entire west third of the airport,'' said Rowena Mason, president of the Santa Paula Airport Association. ``This is millions and millions of dollars worth of damage.''

Rescues occurred across the state, including a woman who was pulled Tuesday from rushing, waist-high waters of the Rio Hondo River in Montebello.

Forecasters said another strong system expected early Wednesday could bring severe winds and drop an additional inch or more of rain on Southern California.

Despite brief glimpses of sun, a flash flood watch was in effect across much of Southern California on Tuesday. A tornado warning was also issued for coastal areas.

Authorities said dozens of homes were evacuated or red-tagged -- marked as uninhabitable -- because they threatened to collapse from sliding hillsides.

Mudslides forced Amtrak officials to suspend train service north of Los Angeles to Santa Barbara at least through Thursday.

The wild weather came from a series of storms that began battering the state on Thursday, dumping 8.15 inches of rain on downtown Los Angeles.

A total of 33.09 inches of rain has fallen in the city since July 1, when California begins its yearly rainfall measurements. The record, 38.18 inches, was set in 1883-1884.

Storms have caused $52.5 million in damage to Los Angeles County roads and facilities since the beginning of the year. The county has spent $9 million on repairs, including $500,000 since the weekend, officials said.

Mayor James Hahn asked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to urge President Bush to issue a federal disaster declaration for the city, which could open the way for federal assistance. The mayor said damage exceeded $10 million.

Northern California also was hit by severe thunderstorms and hail. Trees were uprooted and roofs and fences damaged by two small tornadoes near Sacramento.

Rain in Northern California tapered off Tuesday, with only isolated showers expected by Wednesday, said Bob Benjamin, a NWS forecaster.

Water rescues occurred across the state. Three people were treated for minor injuries after they swam to safety Tuesday when their SUV skidded on wet pavement in Anaheim and flipped into a river.

Story located here at this LINK:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-California-Storm.html?ex=1109653200&en=31571574f1b50d4c&ei=50 53&partner=NYTHEADLINES_HP

. . .One cannot help but wonder? WTF's up with the weather in Cali?
- - -Submitted by Joe (Bigsky770)

[Bigsky770]

Community stunned as landslide sends homes crashing

Thursday, June 2, 2005 Posted: 1311 GMT (2111 HKT)

LAGUNA BEACH, California (AP) -- Fourteen-year-old Haley Stevens was getting ready for school when her morning routine was shattered by the sounds of trees and houses being torn from the ground.

The next thing she knew, her family was rushing out the door as a massive landslide bore down on the neighborhood of hillside homes perched along one of the most picturesque sections of Southern California's coastline.

When they made it outside their Bluebird Canyon home, the ground was collapsing beneath them: "We started to feel the street move and we just started sprinting," she said.

Wednesday's landslide destroyed 17 multimillion-dollar houses as it sent structures crashing down a hill. Residents alarmed by the sound of walls and pipes coming apart ran for their lives -- many still in their pajamas.

Five people suffered minor injuries, officials said. Eleven homes were damaged, and about 1,000 people in 350 other homes were evacuated as a precaution.

"We were very scared, my brother and I. We were freaking out," said Stevens, who suffered a minor injury from stepping on a cactus in her bare feet.

The Rest of the story HERE:
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/US/06/02/laguna.landslide.ap/index.html

. . .Thankfully, no lives were lost with these latest mud-slides (bad as they were) what videos I'd seen on the television were pretty terrible in displaying the amount of damage that occured. . . What tomorrow brings is a good question, but MORE SLIDES are expected. . . :nono:

Joe (Bigsky770):eek: