Flooding and debris from rainstorms Saturday morning have closed several roads and freeway off-ramps and, as rains resumed in the afternoon authorities warned of hazardous driving conditions on area freeways.
"We’re basically at the mercy of Mother Nature — we’re not sure how much rain we’re going to get," said California Highway Patrol Officer Francisco Villalobos.
Malibu Canyon Road was closed between Hughes Research Lab and Piuma Road due to a rock slide near a tunnel, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Evans.
Topanga Canyon Boulevard also was closed between Grand View Drive and Pacific Coast Highway due to a mud slide that Caltrans was working to clear, Villalobos said.
Although a rock slide had been reported on Kanan-Dume Road, Evans said the road was still passable.
The Angeles Crest Highway remained closed Saturday afternoon, Villalobos said.
The Balboa Boulevard offramp on the eastbound California 118 was closed intermittently in the afternoon due to flooding, Villalobos said.
The 710 and 5 freeways, both closed Saturday morning due to flooding and crashes, had reopened by the afternoon, but Villalobos warned drivers to allow extra travel time and expect delays due to crashes.
"With the rains coming in again, there may be more closures due to flooding of ramps and transition roads," Villalobos said. "The normal route you take may be closed off."
The CHP responded to 415 crashes in Los Angeles County between 5 and 11 a.m. Saturday, compared to 50 crashes during the same period a week ago.
"We are seeing a lot of spin-outs, a lot of people hitting the guard rails and going over," he said. "Basically, people are driving too fast for the wet roadways."
— Molly Hennessy-Fiske
FULL COVERAGE OF THE MUDSLIDES
–Times photo gallery from the scene
–Interactive map of evacuations by The Times” Rong-Gong Lin II