Four Trapped by a Surging River Saved by Firefighters : Rescue: The incident in Santa Ana is one of many storm-spurred mishaps in the county and around the state.

Four homeless people who sought shelter from the rain under a Santa Ana River overpass were rescued from the rushing waters Saturday morning after the river swelled around them and trapped them on the concrete platform.

The castaways sought refuge Friday night but had to wait until daybreak Saturday for their screams to attract a passerby.

Fire officials, worried that the four were suffering from hypothermia, were also worried that the threatening skies could dump more rain and sweep the foursome into the surging river before rescuers could reach them. After a hectic hour, firefighters were able to anchor two rescue lines in place, hook the four victims to harnesses and lead them to safety on the river bank.

“It got a little hairy at times,” said Santa Ana firefighter Alex Van, 29, who escorted the four to safety. “I’ve never really done a rescue like this before. It was a little tense because you had the swift-moving water, and that can be pretty hazardous.”

The rescue was one of the most dramatic of the day’s events in Orange County as residents around the region and the state battled fierce winds and rains overnight Friday and prepared for more of the same today.

One man was killed in a single-car accident about 2:15 a.m. Saturday on northbound Interstate 5 in Irvine when his car swerved off the embankment on the slick roadway, flipped over several times and ejected him from the sun roof.

Steven S. Williams, 31, of Anaheim was declared dead at the scene. California Highway Patrol officials said he might have been saved if he had been wearing a seat belt. Tests to determine whether he had been drinking had not been completed Saturday.

There was a slew of fender-benders throughout the county. In other storm-spurred mishaps Saturday, a tree blown over by the wind fell atop a car in Huntington Beach. Some residential areas reported flooded streets. A power outage hit parts of Santa Ana, leading to several minor collisions because of darkened traffic signals.

And Harbor Patrol crews made two rescues off Huntington Beach Friday night, towing a 16-foot Bayliner and a 36-foot sailboat that were stranded by the storm and put out distress flares. Conditions had become so bad by the second rescue--at 8:25 p.m. Friday--that authorities did not want to risk the use of a police helicopter for lighting, forcing rescuers to operate in “almost total darkness,” authorities said.

“It was definitely a difficult rescue,” said Lt. Steven Davidson of the Orange County Harbor Patrol. Rescuers “had a real visibility problem, so it was a little scary.”

Even so, Davidson said, many sailors were braving the waters during dry skies Saturday despite threatening clouds. “I’ve been pretty surprised,” he said.

In Fullerton and Santa Ana, meanwhile, the weather prompted officials to open the National Guard armories to house several dozen homeless people over the weekend. The armories are expected to stay open tonight as well because of the threat of rain and cold temperatures.

“We’ve had a great influx of kids,” said one armory official, adding that 30 people were already waiting at the Fullerton site by 5:30 p.m. Saturday in search of shelter.

Along the Santa Ana River, the four homeless people Friday night apparently thought they too had found a haven from the storm under the 1st Street bridge, but heavy rains proved otherwise, officials said.

“They were high and dry before it started raining, but then they had no place to go,” said firefighter Van of San Pedro, one of the rescuers. The river channel reached levels of 3 1/2 feet, just about 6 inches shy of the pylon where the four were stranded.

Fire officials identified the group as Santa Bernadina, 27; Cesar Escubedo, 22; Joe Hernandez, 39, and Susan Land, 28.

The four yelled for help in the early morning hours and were finally able to get someone’s attention about daybreak, fire officials said. It was a good thing they did not try to make it to the riverbank themselves, officials added, because the water was deceptively calm.

The rescue call came in just after 7 a.m. Saturday, and it took firefighters about 20 minutes to fight the surging waters, set up a rappelling line and a 2-foot nylon backup line, and make their way out to the pylon.

After about another 40 minutes, Van and partner Lou Fernandez were able to hook the four people into harnesses--despite some resistance--and lead them 50 to 75 feet through the rough waters, Van said. Firefighters had the homeless people go barefoot and took off their shoes themselves to better navigate the walk.

“The water was real cold,” Van said. “I couldn’t feel my feet by the end.”

The flood victims did not want to speak with media after the rescue.

“They were real happy we got them out,” said Battalion Chief Jess Hernandez, “but they just wanted to go about their business . . . and find a (rescue) mission to go get dried off.”

Times staff writers Mark I. Pinsky and Bob Elston contributed to this story.