Widespread flooding across the Santa Clarita Valley created fast-moving torrents of water in swollen creeks which, in some cases, shut down roadways, stranded residents and barred some from access to their homes.
Neighborhoods in Sand Canyon, Placerita Canyon and Castaic at Hasley Canyon Road and Del Valle experienced flooding that shut down neighborhood roads.
A water rescue was launched shortly after 5:15 p.m. for two women trapped inside a car with water rising around the vehicle near the intersection of Whites Canyon Road and Soledad Canyon Road.
Mudflows across Sand Canyon Road near Iron Canyon Road and just south of Highway 14 prompted the hard closure of Sand Canyon at the highway, on the north end, and at Placerita Canyon, at the south end of the road about 5 p.m.
In the low-lying neighborhoods around Master’s College in Placerita, many surface roads became flooded.
Placerita Creek itself, where at least two cars were swept away in a flash flood last month, swelled to even higher levels Friday as swift-moving muddy water created rapid-like conditions that shut down access to the east side of the creek, stranding residents.
“One guy who lives on the bad side of the creek said he’s not worried because he’s got enough beer to last him a month,” said Meadview resident Gina, who lives right next to the creek, on the “good” side.
Parked trucks and cars lined both sides of the typically vacant rural road on the west side of the creek as the “river” cut one part of the neighborhood off from the other.
“My buddy got stuck here the last time it flooded. The mud just folded in on him,” said one young motorist on Meadview. “He’s not going to try it this time.”
The caution issued by Los Angeles County Fire Department officials for motorists not to attempt crossing flooded roadways was ignored by some Friday.
“We strongly discourage anyone crossing flooded roadways,” Steve Frasher, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works told The Signal.
“We put up road closure signs 250 feet on each side of the flooded area on Dell Valle,” he said.
Despite the posted warning, however, many motorists ignored the warning signs, drove around them and across the flooded roadways.
Consequently, fire officials initiated a water rescue shortly after 3:45 p.m. in response to “impatient” motorists ignoring “road closed” signs on Hasley Canyon Road at Del Valle Road, Inspector Gustavo Medina said.
“A bulldozer was going to pull out a motorist on Hasley,” Medina said, noting the emergency call was called off when first responders could not find the stranded car.
At least half a dozen firefighting units and two helicopters were dispatched to the call, Medina said, but all were called off when no stranded vehicle was found.
Hasley Canyon Road was shut down shortly after 4:45.
By late afternoon, heavy steady pounding rain created mudslides in both ends of the Santa Clarita Valley where summer brushfires stripped the soil of any vegetation.
In the Sand Canyon neighborhood, mudslides swept across 25000 block of Sand Canyon Road near Iron Canyon Road shortly before 5 p.m., making it impassable, and barring residents from getting to their homes.
One Sand Canyon resident reported a mud flow snapped a gas line to the house shortly after 5 p.m.
Mudslides were also reported in Newhall with mud reported spreading across the The Old Road at Calgrove.
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