Flooding, mudslides hit areas charred by fire in Southern California
Fires can cause soil to repel water, increasing risk of floods and mudslides. Californians experienced this as some areas were hit with storms.
Some Southern California Edison customers in Los Angeles County are experiencing power outages as of the morning of Dec. 24, some of which are weather-related as an atmospheric river dumps rain across the region amid the Christmas holiday.
There were 27 outages as of 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 24 in Los Angeles County, Scott Johnson, a spokesperson with SCE, told the USA TODAY Network. Some outages in the county have listed “storm condition” as the reason for the outage. Some other outages pertain to trees and equipment and may be related to the weather, Johnson said.
The outages in the county are affecting just over 8,000 customers, according to Johnson. It comes as officials warn of widespread flooding due to the “very dangerous holiday storm.” In Los Angeles County, evacuation warnings were scheduled to go into effect on Tuesday, Dec. 23, for areas impacted by recent wildfires, which could result in debris and mud flows.
An outage map for the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power also shows numerous active outages in the county, including in Sherman Oaks, near Van Nuys, and in the Woodland Hills area. The department did not immediately respond to the USA TODAY Network’s inquiry about whether the outages are because of the weather.
Is there a power outage in Ventura County and across Southern California?
A look at Southern California Edison’s online outage status map shows numerous outages across Southern California, including Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. According to the map, many of the power outages in Los Angeles County are expected to be resolved throughout Christmas Eve, from morning to evening.
If Southern Californians come across a downed power line, they are urged to dial 911 and report it immediately, Johnson said.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
