Woman Dies in Traffic Accident as Rain Continues

A subtropical storm fueled by the so-called “Pineapple Express” was blamed Wednesday for a second fatality as it continued to dump rain on Orange County, flooding streets and homes as it made its way south.

Leticia Sanchez, 28, of Santa Ana was driving onto the MacArthur Boulevard onramp to the northbound Costa Mesa Freeway about 10:35 a.m. Tuesday when she lost control of her vehicle on the slick road and swerved into oncoming traffic, according to the Orange County coroner’s office.

She died several hours later, officials said.

The downpour that started Monday is being fueled by a moisture stream coming off Hawaii, hence its nickname, said meteorologist Curtis Brach of WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

While there was only isolated damage, much of it was blamed on backed-up storm pipes and drains and overwhelmed flood control systems. But emergency and public works officials remained on alert for the worst.

“The ground is just saturated,” said Capt. Dan Young of the Orange County Fire Authority. “If it keeps up, things are going to start breaking loose.”

Before the storm front breaks up today and continues its move south, it is expected to have left behind 2 to 5 inches of rain in Orange County, the heaviest rainfall so far this year. On Tuesday, several areas in Orange County were flooded, some requiring evacuations of residents. But some of the most serious rain damage came on Wednesday.

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg Lonza said rain collected on the flat roof of an apartment complex at 33862 Silver Lantern in Dana Point because drain pipes were jammed. The water backed up into air vents and poured into three apartments, ruining furniture, carpeting and personal belongings.

Resident Susan Conley said she woke up Wednesday morning to a torrent of rain water flooding her bathroom.

“It was raining harder in my house than outside,” Conley said. “My son woke up, looked at the bathroom and said, ‘Mom. We need major help.’ ”

The buildup of water also caused the ceiling to collapse at a neighbor’s apartment.

Lauren Johnson, Conley’s neighbor, said she woke up at 4 a.m. Wednesday after hearing water dripping in her living room.

“It was coming down the vents real fast, and then the ceiling just opened up and all this water came out,” Johnson said.

Lonza said the Red Cross was contacted to provide emergency housing for about half a dozen residents whose apartments suffered as much as 2 to 4 inches of flooding.

In La Habra, the flooding was so furious it caused a block wall to collapse as a torrent of water and mud splashed down an embankment, carrying Marcus Gallo, two turtles and a dog with it.

“I went for a ride and it pinned me against the wall. It was up to here,” Gallo, 26, said as he pointed to his chest.

“It was pretty scary,” added Gallo, who lost a shoe on his way. The turtles and the dog were unharmed.

The Gallos spent the day cleaning up mud that seeped into their home overnight, knocking down backyard gazebos and destroying indoor carpeting at their home in the 1400 block of Lemon Tree Court.

The family room, living room and kitchen were filled with mud and the family had to move all the furniture around in preparation for carpet removal.

A volunteer from the American Red Cross visited the Gallo family Wednesday to make sure they were all right.

Mostly, the rain was a nuisance.

The weather wreaked havoc with commuters, littering the streets and freeways with traffic problems and scores of fender-benders. The rains also caused a foot-deep sinkhole in Fullerton, and forced the closure of a nearby street when the added stress of a broken water main overpowered the area’s flood control channels and backed up into the street.

In Laguna Beach, the storm and winds knocked down a tree on Bluebird Canyon Drive. No one was injured.

The storm was expected to continue making its way south, leaving only scattered showers today and clearing up by tomorrow.

Times staff writer David Reyes and correspondent Mimi Ko Cruz contributed to this report.