Mt. Baldy mudslides prompt L.A. County board of supervisors to declare state of emergency

L.A. County declares state of emergency after Mt. Baldy mudslides

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Michelle Olson walks around her house that was inundated with rocks and debris during Sunday’s downpour. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Michelle Olson, left, looks at her buried truck as she returns to her home that was red-tagged after water and debris swept through her house near Hill Avenue in Mt. Baldy. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Michelle Olson collects some items Monday as she returns to her home that was red-tagged after water and debris swept through her house in Mt. Baldy during a downpour Sunday. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints help to dig out vehicles in front of Michelle Olson’s house, which was inundated with rocks and debris in Mt. Baldy. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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A Toyota Prius sits at the bottom of a creek bed in Mt. Baldy. The vehicle belonged to a hiker who was killed when water and debris swept his car downstream along Bear Canyon Road in Mt. Baldy. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Doug Roath jumps from the roof of his house after assessing damage caused by Sunday’s storm, which sent boulders, mud, water and debris into the yard and slammed against the home off Highway 38 in Forest Falls. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Powerful thunderstorms walloped the Inland Empire on Sunday including the Forest Falls area, where Paul McRobbie clears heavy rocks and mud from the door of his friend’s house Monday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Lindsey Foggett of Forest Falls helps pick up a friend’s belongings that washed into Mill Creek during Sunday’s storm. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Jessica Gosney, center, checks her phone for messages while taking a break from digging out her car in Forest Falls with her daughter Taylor Becker, 8, left, and friend Andrew Watson, right. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Jaime Rodriguez looks over the damage to his kitchen and the rest of his Highland home after a torrent of mud and water came streaming in after a downpour on Sunday. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Pools of water are still standing a day after mud and rainwater poured into Ruben Coronado’s home near the corner of 13th Street and Sterling Avenue in Highland. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Ruben Coronado walks around his damaged possessions a day after mud and storm water came streaming into his home near the corner of 13th Street and Sterling Avenue in Highland. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

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Doug Roath makes his way through mud, debris and boulders that surrounded his home after rainstorms in Forest Falls. (Paul Buck / EPA)

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An official of Forest Home Christian Conference Center in Forest Falls inspects damage on the property after thunderstorms Sunday. (David Bauman / AP)

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A fire hydrant and drinking fountains are partially buried at Forest Home Christian Conference Center in Forest Falls. (David Bauman / AP)

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A golf cart and compact car are partially buried at Forest Home Christian Conference Center in Forest Falls. (David Bauman / AP)

By Frank ShyongColumnist

Aug. 5, 2014 5:57 PM PT

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency Tuesday for the Mt. Baldy area, which is recovering from an severe thunderstorm that killed one motorist and caused millions of dollars in damage.

The motion waives any regulations that could slow recovery efforts and makes the community eligible to receive state and federal disaster relief assistance. The damaged area also includes parts of San Bernardino County.

The thunderstorm Sunday was one of the worst in the area’s history, dumping several inches of rain on Mt. Baldy and surrounding communities within a few hours. Floods, gumball-sized hail and mudslides up to 10-feet tall toppled telephone poles, clogged roads, overturned a car and stranded thousands of residents.

The dead motorist, identified as Joo Hwan Lee, 48, of El Segundo, was the only fatality. He died Sunday when his car slid off a mountain road into a creek.

Officials estimate the storm caused several million dollars in damage. Ten to 15 homes were severely damaged, and six homes were declared unsafe and red-tagged.

Follow at @frankshyong.

L.A. County declares state of emergency after Mt. Baldy mudslides

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