2 Deaths Blamed on Rain; New Storm on Way, Forecasters Say

By LORI GRANGE

Oct. 24, 1987 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

County firefighters, police and volunteers worked Friday to counter landslides and flooding caused by heavy rains that fell across the Southland on Thursday.

And forecasters are predicting more rain--and damage--to come.

A second storm was expected to begin early this morning and most likely will continue through tonight, saturating some areas with up to an inch of rain, said Mike Smith, a meteorologist at WeatherData, a private weather consulting firm that provides forecasts for The Times.

Heavier in Valley

“This will be a substantial rainstorm,” Smith said. Thursday’s storm dropped 0.77 inch of rain in downtown and as much as three inches in some parts of the San Fernando Valley.

Although skies should be slightly sunnier Sunday, residents can expect periodic rainfall and possible thundershowers through early next week from a low pressure system that has been stalled about 400 miles west-southwest of Los Angeles, he said.

Authorities are warning weekend travelers and hillside residents to be wary of slick roads and mud slides that will result from the showers.

The heavy rains that drenched the Southland on Thursday were blamed in the deaths of two people, caused scores of traffic accidents, triggered mud slides and power outages and drove residents out of flooded, earthquake-damaged buildings.

A CHP officer narrowly escaped being buried under rock and mud on the Golden State Freeway in the San Fernando Valley.

CHP Officer Vickie Warren had stopped on the freeway to help disabled motorists below the Lankershim Boulevard overpass shortly before 9 p.m. Thursday when the embankment above gave way and buried her patrol car.

The landslide “surrounded the car so quickly that she had to climb out the window and wade through waist-high water and mud to get away,” CHP Officer Steve Munday said.

All Lanes Blocked

All lanes of the road were blocked off by the slide. Southbound lanes were reopened Thursday night and northbound lanes were to open late Friday night.

In Hollywood, more than 20 families spent Thursday night in motels after the rain forced them from homes already damaged by the Oct. 1 earthquake, said Peggy McGinley, a spokesman for the American Red Cross. In downtown Los Angeles, about 25 residents of a 7th Street apartment building were driven to Red Cross shelters after water poured through faulty roofs and cracks caused by the quake, McGinley said.

The downpour caused the Hyperion sewage station to overflow, sending 2.7 million gallons of partially treated water into Ballona Creek and the Santa Monica Bay. The storm also created a 30,000-gallon spill of untreated sewage in Pacific Palisades.

The deaths linked to the storm were two commuters who were killed in separate accidents when they lost control of their cars on rain-soaked roadways.

Car Skidded

In Brea, Anna Lee Stella, 60, of Chino, died Friday after her car skidded on Carbon Canyon Road, crossed over the center divider and collided with a pickup truck going the other way. The driver and a passenger in the truck suffered minor injuries, police said.

In Lakewood, Miles Rogholt, 56, of South Gate, died Thursday night when his car crashed into a truck on a ramp leading to the San Gabriel River Freeway, police reported.

Scores of others were injured in traffic accidents while driving in the rain, said Officer Jill Angel of the California Highway Patrol. Angel said there were about four times as many accidents than usual. “It was unbelievable,” she said.

Near La Canada, a mud slide above the the Foothill Freeway closed six miles of Angeles Crest Highway to all but local residents, while crews were busy clearing the lanes of mud, said John Vaden, a spokesman for Caltrans.

Damaged Power Lines

Power was restored by Friday afternoon to almost all of the 180,000 Southern California Edison customers who lost it during the storm, company spokesman Bob Krauch said. Krauch estimated damage to power lines and poles at $700,000.

Dorothy Jensen of the Department of Water and Power said power to virtually all of the 9,000 customers who experienced the blackout was returned by Friday.

Elevated areas Friday were colder and wetter, weather services said. Thursday’s showers gave Mt. Wilson 3 1/2 inches of rain, while Mendenhall had 4 1/2 inches, Smith said.

Lower elevations may get up to an inch of rain today, but the mountains will receive the brunt of the showers, said Smith of WeatherData. Temperatures in the mountains are expected to reach the mid-50s, forecasters said, and visitors can expect heavy showers and gusty winds of up to 30 m.p.h. today and Sunday.

Forecast Temperatures

High temperature in downtown Los Angeles on Friday reached 71 degrees, with little relative humidity. The weather service said humidity will soar above 80% today, tapering off on Sunday but continuing through next week. Temperatures should reach the mid- to upper 60s, stretching into the low 70s on Sunday. Winds this afternoon should breeze at eight to 15 m.p.h., but could gust up to 30 m.p.h. during thunderstorms.

The beaches may be cool today, with temperatures expected to reach the mid- to upper 60s, forecasters said. Coastal temperatures on Sunday are expected to be in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Surf is expected to run from three to six feet in most places.

Times staff writer Santiago O’Donnell contributed to this story.

WHERE THE RAIN FELL

These are National Weather Service reports of precipitation for the 48 hours ending at 5 p.m. Friday.

(In Inches) Los Angeles 0.70

Los Angeles Airport 0.25

Beaumont 0.84

Big Bear Lake 0.18

Catalina 0.46

Culver City 0.44

Lancaster 0.77

Long Beach 0.43

Monrovia 2.29