Emergency Declared as County Gets More Rain

In the wake of recent heavy storms, an emergency declaration for Orange County was signed Thursday to help qualify for state funding to pay for more than $5 million in repairs.

The declaration came just as another powerful storm was moving into the county and expected to drop at least 2 inches of rain through Sunday night.

Flooding Thursday night in Santa Ana forced city crews to close Segerstrom Avenue between Bristol and Flower streets, and the northbound lanes of Bristol at Alton Avenue, Santa Ana Police Lt. Jose Garcia said. Those closures were expected to continue at least through 7 a.m. today, he said.

Since Feb. 6, more than 7 inches of rain have fallen in the county, damaging flood control channels and roads and causing landslides and flooding. The emergency declaration signed by Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Silva allows the county to begin state-funded repairs immediately without waiting for bids.

The storm that arrived Thursday afternoon was expected to bring an inch of rain and continue through this morning.

“Orange County can expect rain to begin on Saturday and move through into Sunday night with some showers Monday; then partly cloudy skies,” said John Sherwin, a meteorologist with WeatherData, which provides forecasts for The Times.

The sun may shine through partly cloudy skies on Tuesday and Wednesday as well, he said.

Temperatures will remain moderate, in the low 60s today but rising a few degrees on Saturday, Sherwin said. Sunday will bring back lower temperatures, and it will stay chilly Monday as the clouds disperse, he said. Tuesday and Wednesday will bring temperatures in the upper 60s, he said.

The normal high temperature for this time of year is 69 degrees, according to WeatherData.

At San Onofre State Beach in northern San Diego County, officials announced they will close the park’s bluff-top campgrounds on Monday for at least 30 days to make an emergency storm drain repair. Storm damage is threatening to wipe out a large section of roadway.

People with reservations will be relocated to other campgrounds, parks Supt. Jack Roggenbuck said.

In addition to making road repairs, county work crews were shoring up eroded beaches Thursday.

“We’re fortifying sidewalks and drainage structures so they remain intact. They have become undermined and exposed from the big surf,” said Larry Paul, county coastal facilities director.

Crews were also removing heavy debris that washed ashore, including trees and timbers, to prevent them from floating back out and becoming navigational hazards.

Barricades have been installed at Aliso Beach as a safety precaution where sidewalks and beaches have been undermined by erosion, Paul said.

Lifeguard Richard Chew said, “Our beaches have just been taking a beating. We’ve got rocks, palm fronds, trash, you name it. The ocean’s been throwing up everything on our beaches.”

In Dana Point, tons of mud slid down a hillside Feb. 7 and into a parking garage at the Holiday Inn Express on Coast Highway. The hotel was forced to close after the mud flow buried 19 vehicles and knocked out telephone service and electricity.

The hotel will reopen today, said owner Marc Paskin. He added that city crews had installed concrete barricades behind the hotel parking lot to protect the property.

“Hey, we’re offering a free mud bath with every room,” Paskin quipped. “I’ve learned that you’ve got to keep your sense of humor here, or you’ll go crazy. We’ve reopened after a tremendous amount of work was completed by a bunch of good people helping us out.”

In Laguna Beach, owners of the damaged Tivoli Terrace restaurant and wedding chapel were not as fortunate. A hillside gave way Tuesday behind the landmark restaurant at the city’s art festival grounds, destroying the chapel and buckling the ceilings and walls in several rooms.

Restaurant owner June Neptune spent most of Thursday lugging restaurant equipment and furniture from the premises to Tivoli Two, her second restaurant across Laguna Canyon Road, Fire Chief Bill Edmundson said.

Times staff writers Marcida Dodson and Geoff Boucher contributed to this report.

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David Reyes can be reached at (714) 248-2150. His e-mail address is david.reyes@latimes.com