Mexico Storms Keep Americans Trapped : Weather: Parents frustrated by inability to rescue their children. In county, new rains cut phone service to 3,500.

Two Orange County families were on the verge of desperation Wednesday night after failing to rescue their children, who are trapped in Baja California with thousands of other Americans following last weekend’s storms.

“I’m so frustrated. I’ve called congressmen, senators, even the Red Cross, but all I get are more phone numbers. No one seems to know how we can help them,” Margaret Howard of Trabuco Canyon said Wednesday night.

Her son, Matt, 22, and his girlfriend, Brittany Leonard, 21, of San Clemente, became trapped with two friends in the San Quintin area of Mexico after bridges along Highway 1 were washed away in the weekend storms.

Responding to reports that food was in short supply in the popular tourist center located about 180 miles south of the border, the Mexican government announced Wednesday that an army kitchen had been set up in San Quintin to feed stranded tourists.

Howard’s son, however, told her Wednesday morning that he and his friends couldn’t find such a kitchen. He also estimated that nearly 2,000 Americans are trapped there, contrary to reports putting the number at 500 to 1,000.

Mexican authorities have said they hope to have Highway 1 reopened by this Sunday.

At the Mexican border south of San Diego, city lifeguards and U.S. Border Patrol agents said they pulled five illegal immigrants from the Tijuana River as they attempted to enter the United States. One of those rescued told authorities that his sister and their guide had been carried away in the current.

In Orange County, the same storms caused rain-soaked phone lines to fail, cutting off phone service to 3,500 people, a spokeswoman for Pacific Bell reported.

“This storm has caused more problems for Pacific Bell than any other storm I can remember,” said spokeswoman Linda Bonniksen.

In Newport Beach, a mudslide that occurred Tuesday night on Coast Highway north of Superior Boulevard kept the northbound lane closed through Wednesday night.

Caltrans officials had no estimate when the lane would be reopened.

Only one storm-related traffic accident was reported on Wednesday. Garden Grove police said a driver lost control of his car early Wednesday morning while traveling through a rain-slick intersection and hit a girl waiting at a curbside bus stop.

The girl, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for bruises and cuts.

Rick Dittmann, a meteorologist at WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times, said rain will continue today but will end by early afternoon.

Dittmann said skies will continue to be cloudy through Friday evening, when another storm is expected to bring more rain to the Orange County area.