S. California dries out after 11-day downpour

Press, 25 February 1980, Page 9

S. California dries out after 11-day downpour

NZPA-Reuter Los Angeles

Blue skies brought relief at the week-end to thousands of weary southern Californians digging through mud and debris left by the worst floods for 11 years. Houses are still sliding down hillsides and at least 6000 people have been forces from their homes, but the respite after 11 days of storms has given engineers an opportunity to divert rivers and make emergency repairs to roads. The death toll compiled bystate officials has risen from 27 to 36. The officials said this was mainly because people earlier listed as missing have been presumed dead.

Ninety people died in a killer flood in 1969. The officials said 111 houses in Los Angeles and other parts of southern California were destroyed and

14,390 damaged in the latest flood and the number of cars destroyed or damaged runs in the hundreds. The cost of the flood damage was estimated by the officials at more than $350 million. Weather experts had warned on Friday that fresh storms were backed up to Japan heading for the area, but the storms unexpectedly veered north and weakened. The storms are no longer picking up the moisture created by the warm atmosphere and so have lost much of their intensity, the experts added. The police have set up roadblocks at entrances to Topanga Canyon, the home of actors and rock groups, including the British Supertramp, so sightseers do not hinder engineers repairing water mains and roads that slid down hillsides. Only residents and repair

crews are allowed through the roadblocks. Many of the 4000 residents of the canyon have been without electricity and water for five days.

More than 4000 people, half the population of the desert community of San Jacinto, 160 km east of Los Angeles, are still homeless after a dam on the San Jacinto River gave way on Thursday night. Many of the inhabitants are elderly and rescue workers carried some through water waist-high to dry ground. Helicopter pilots dived under power lines to land on roofs and pick up old people. A racecourse and three golf courses have been turned into lakes and waters are still lapping at the entrances to some hotels and shops in the exclusive Mission Valley area of San Diego. But a call for a mass evacuation was cancelled.