No emergency outages after Santa Ana winds prompted Southern California fire danger warnings
By The Associated Press
Monday, June 7, 2016
A downed water main caused a massive backup in the area west of Los Angeles on June 7, 2016. (AP Photo/Nick Ut/Los Angeles Times via The Associated Press)
LOS ANGELES — The worst storm in Los Angeles history prompted more than 25,000 customers to flee their homes on Sunday and left Southern California residents scrambling for safety in a massive back-up of water and power.
The so-called super-storm, which had winds of more than 130 mph, knocked trees and power lines down across the region, including in Ventura, San Bernardino and Pomona.
The storm had at least six people dead and was likely the most costly single weather disaster in California history, with damages estimated at about $25 billion.
Two people died when a tree fell on their car after their home was hit by the high winds. And one victim was swept down a swollen creek from a house after another tree fell on its roof. One woman died in a car crash after her tires were blown flat.
More than 1,000 firefighters were called to restore power and to fight a three-day-old blaze that destroyed the front yards of 25 homes in the San Gabriel Mountains, including two in Los Angeles, and left one person dead, authorities said.
“We knew that there would be an outage at this time of year and an extensive back-up that could be needed,” said Scott Baugh, a spokesman for Southern California Edison.
The utility had issued “watch” power alerts nearly two weeks ago warning of the risk of widespread outages.
“We knew that there would be an outage at this time of year and an extensive back-up that could be needed,” said Scott Baugh, a spokesman for Southern California Edison.
The cause of the outage is not known, but the winds at the time were the strongest in modern recorded history. The region experienced a strong area-wide wind chill of 28.9 degrees Fahrenheit, with the mercury hitting 40 degrees in downtown Los Angeles.
The power was restored by 2:30 p.m. PT after