In Southern California, drivers encountered a weather-related traffic jam...lots of rain and storms triggered a massive mudslide. Many highways were closed as crews worked to clear the mud and standing water.
Andy Rose has the story.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIANS ARE DIGGING OUT.
FLASH FLOODS TRIGGERED MUDSLIDES IN THE REGION...
CAUSING INTERSTATE CLOSURES...
AND SOME CLOSE CALLS FOR DRIVERS.
(Gilbert Cortez, Resident): "My car got carried away almost over the side, and I just got high-centered off of all the boulders."
THE MUD COVERED SOME CARS ALMOST TO THEIR ROOFS...
WHICH WERE AT TIMES PELTED BY GOLF BALL-SIZED HAIL.
STRANDED MOTORISTS HAD TO DECIDE WHETHER TO STAY AND WAIT FOR HELP...
OR ABANDON THEIR VEHICLES.
(Gilbert Cortez, Resident): "You start valuing what you have and hoping you can get out, you know, taking it just a second at a time."
ONE WITNESS SAID CARS WERE DAMAGED BY HUGE BOULDERS.
BETWEEN FOUR AND SIX INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON THE LOS ANGELES AREA...
AN AMOUNT THAT'S RARE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR.
AUTHORITIES PERFORMED ABOUT SIX WATER RESCUES....
IN A DROUGHT STRICKEN AREA DESPERATELY NEEDING WATER - JUST NOT ALL AT ONCE..
OFFICIALS CLEARED THE MUD FROM THE NORTHBOUND PORTION ON INTERSTATE 5, NORTH OF LOS ANGELES.
FORECASTS CALL FOR MORE RAIN TO FALL ON THE AREA IN THE COMING DAYS...
FEEDING FEARS OF MORE FLOODS AND MUDSLIDES.
I'M ANDY ROSE REPORTING
Geologists, or scientists who study the earth, are surveying surrounding areas to make sure the soil on those slopes is stable.
And the El Nino weather pattern is bringing more than rain to California... Robert Forbes captured video of a highly venomous sea snake lying on Silver Strand Beach in Ventura County.
The surfer feared children might come across the aquatic snake, so he placed it inside a bucket with some ocean water and alerted local wildlife experts. These snakes are not traditionally located along the California coast. The yellow bellied sea snake usually lives in warm tropical waters. The last sea snake species that washed up on shore was during an El Nino in the early 1980s.
Instructional Links
Guided Reading/Vocabulary/Pictures: Wonder of the Day: What Causes Mudslides?
http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-causes-mudslides/
Website: One Geology Kids | Geology
http://www.onegeology.org/extra/kids/what_is.html
Website: Why Geologists Study Earth Processes
http://www.onegeology.org/extra/kids/earthprocesses/studying.html