Los Angeles County officials on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the Mt. Baldy area after thunderstorms over the weekend caused mudslides and killed a driver in a flash flood.
San Bernardino County has also declared a state of emergency in the aftermath of the storms, which damaged cars, created roadblocks and stranded residents.
A 48-year-old El Segundo man was killed Sunday when his car was swept off a road in a flood in Mt. Baldy.
Emergency crews worked throughout Sunday and Monday to rescue and evacuate people trapped in mud and water.
Officials said 24 homes in the Forest Falls and Mt. Baldy area were damaged or destroyed in the floods. The American Red Cross sent volunteers to Forest Falls on Monday to help displaced residents and emergency workers.
The state of emergency directs the county to use all its resources in the recovery effort, LA County Supervisor Michael Antonovich’s office said in a statement, and allows the county to ask for state and federal disaster relief funds.
