Residents Flee SoCal Floods

[sunny]

foxnews.com

Pacific Storm Pounds Southwest
Wednesday, December 29, 2004

SEDONA, Ariz. — A slow-moving, powerful storm battered the West for a third straight day Wednesday, forcing hundreds of people out of a scenic region of Arizona and blacking out thousands of homes in Southern California.

Nineteen inches of snow fell at the Brian Head Resort (search) in southwestern Utah, but skiers couldn't take advantage of it because 70 mph wind prevented the resort from starting its chair lifts.

Police reported hundreds of traffic accidents around Las Vegas, where firefighters rescued several drivers from cars stalled in deep water. No serious injuries or damage were reported.

At least 300 people were evacuated because of flooding in low-lying areas of Sedona (search), where Oak Creek rose 11 feet during the night, reaching 14 feet by late morning. It was likely to crest at 161/2 feet, the National Weather Service (search) said.

"I've been here since 1977 ... This is the worst," said Marc Spector, owner of the Hideaway Restaurant, which is perched on a cliff overlooking Oak Creek.

Some homes had minor flooding and people were stranded in water-logged vehicles in Sedona, a town of some 10,000 people surrounded by towering red rock formations that draw hundreds of thousands of tourists.


Large recreation vehicles were seen floating down Oak Creek southwest of Sedona. Elsewhere, 100 people were evacuated from two mobile home parks in Black Canyon City about 40 miles north of Phoenix.

A 14-mile stretch of highway through narrow Oak Creek Canyon (search) was closed between Sedona and Flagstaff. The rain also caused rock slides, making it unsafe for emergency crews, authorities said.

Up to 2.4 inches of rain had fallen on parts of the rugged area of central Arizona, the weather service said.

More than 120,000 customers were without power across five counties of Southern California and sections of several highways were closed because of flooding and mudslides, police and utilities said. High wind in San Diego County snapped off the top 200 feet of the KSON radio tower in National City.

By early Wednesday, downtown Los Angeles had logged 6.37 inches of rain since late Sunday. Tuesday's total alone was 5.55 inches, the city's rainiest December day since record-keeping started in 1877. On Monday, San Francisco was hit by more than 3 inches of rain and suburban Marin County got more than 7 inches.

Three California deaths were believed to be linked to the weather, including a man who apparently tried to surf in the storm's high waves.

Heavy snow and high wind were likely in the Sierra Nevada of Northern California, and snow tires or chains were mandatory Wednesday on major highways through the mountain range.