O.C. Dodges Worst of Strong Statewide Storm

Two storm systems barreled across California on Tuesday, forcing hundreds of residents to flee fast-rising rivers in the north and creating havoc in the Southland as trees toppled, freeways flooded and roofs blew away in the tremendous winds.

The Northern California storm prompted at least 6,000 evacuations and was blamed for one death, in San Mateo County, where a man suffered fatal injuries when a tree slammed into his house. The publisher of a small newspaper near Stockton was reported missing after apparently being swept away by flood waters in Calaveras County.

Fourteen counties declared local emergencies, the precursor to requesting federal disaster relief.

Although the steady, pelting rain drenched every corner of Orange County, its vulnerable coastlines and canyons were spared the serious damage forecasters had feared.

Less than 2 inches of rain fell in the county, despite warnings that as much as 4 inches were possible. Although heavy flooding and mudslides never materialized, the downpour contributed to scores of freeway wrecks, including a crash that sent a California Highway Patrol officer to the hospital.

Lingering showers from the storm system, which moved to the east early Tuesday afternoon, should end this morning, followed by clearing skies later today. Waves were expected to crest up to 12 feet ahead of a less-intense system that will roll in by week’s end, said Wes Etheredge, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times.

Southern California authorities reported no fatalities Tuesday, but twin 12-year-old boys barely escaped injury when an elm tree crashed through the window of their Hancock Park bedroom, showering them with glass.

In the San Fernando Valley community of North Hills, a 13-year-old Granada Hills girl and a 14-year-old girl from Sunland were swept away in Bull Creek. The 14-year-old was rescued by a firefighter about half a mile from where she entered the water. Her companion was rescued about two miles downstream

And in Ventura County, surf tore away 200 feet of the Hueneme Pier, and flowing water left slicks of mud across the Ventura Freeway.

Sporadic power outages left thousands of people in the dark, with 187,000 customers affected in the San Francisco Bay Area and another 114,000 in Southern California. Three power interruptions affected about 3,000 customers in Orange County, including two schools in Tustin. In most cases, power was restored within half an hour, but about 100 residential customers in and near Orange and Tustin remained without power for up to three hours.

The Sepulveda Dam came within 7 feet of flood levels, and the normally barren Los Angeles River coursed with muddy water. The Santa Ana River bed also was filled with rushing, muddy water.

Ferocious winds ripped a roof section from an eight-unit building at the San Fernando Gardens public housing complex in Pacoima. No one was injured.

“It was a really loud noise,” said Ramon Medina, 23. “It kind of shook the building. It was pretty bad.”

The statewide drenching was not the worst to hit California. A storm in January caused far more devastation to the north, flooding 23,000 homes and 2,000 businesses, causing $2 billion in property losses and leaving eight people dead.

And a December storm dumped more than half a foot of rain over large parts of Orange County, heavily damaging Laguna Beach.

Still, Tuesday’s storm impressed state officials with its breadth, affecting residents from the Oregon border to the Mexican line.

“On the satellite view, it’s sitting out there covering the state like a big footprint,” said Jeff Cohen of the State Flood Center.

That footprint snarled transportation throughout the state. Amtrak canceled service from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara and Oakland. Metrolink routed commuters onto buses north of Moorpark to avoid flooded tracks and will probably do the same today. Union Pacific shut down its operations in Ventura County.

Several flights out of Los Angeles International Airport were delayed because passengers and flight crews couldn’t penetrate traffic gridlock on surrounding streets. Airport officials reported no problems, but a passenger on a flight from Cincinnati reported a “tremendous jolt” as the plane approached LAX--which the pilot described as a lightning strike.

“When people stopped screaming, the pilot came on and said, ‘You can see we’re still in the air,’ ” said Laurel Stavis, a news director for Dartmouth College.

In Orange County, the real havoc was reserved for the roadways.

Morning and afternoon commutes were treacherous, with slippery surfaces, debris and heavy traffic cited in dozens of crashes. CHP Officer Steve Bell suffered head injuries about 9 a.m. when his cruiser skidded off the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor. He was treated and released.

Driving was impossible in some areas. Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach and a winding stretch of Laguna Canyon Road were closed much of the day because of flooding.

Most of the day’s attention was focused on anticipated trouble spots. About 25,000 tons of sand was brought in from Palmdale for a 18-foot berm on Seal Beach, and emergency workers were on alert for dangerous high tides and a crush of mudslides. But sand berms held.

In Laguna Beach, another spot of concern during heavy weather, 1.85 inches of rain fell but no serious trouble was reported.

“Nothing tragic around here, so far,” said Pat Barry, director of recreation and social services. “That’s good. We’ve had our share.”

In the canyons, water flowed but for the most part the mud didn’t.

“We’ve been keeping an eye on [Santiago Creek] because any time that we get mud, debris or boulders clogging up the creek, we could have some flooding,” said Battalion Chief Stan Matthews of Station 15 in Silverado Canyon. “We’re really fortunate that the volunteers went out and removed a lot of the bamboo that was in the creek area. But so far no problems.”

The storm periodically grounded mariners in their harbors, which remained open but tricky.

At Newport Harbor, sheriff’s deputies scrambled to help boaters as wind and waves bucked large craft at their moorings. Two 50-foot boats broke loose but were secured by deputies with only minor damage, said Sgt. Mike Hiller of the Orange County harbor patrol division.

“A few other boats were swinging on one mooring line,” Hiller said. “But it could have been a lot more serious.”

Strong currents strained and pitched private docks in Newport Bay. A 50-foot section of one private dock broke loose and probably will have to be replaced, Hiller said. Deputies helped secure a boat that had been moored to the failed dock.

At Dana Point Harbor, boaters and officials ducked billowing spray from waves that crashed onto the rock jetties, said Supervising Ranger Mark Carlson, who heads the south branch operations for the county Public Facilities and Resources Department.

The rain also flushed trash and vegetation from stream beds.

“There’ll be debris floating in the harbor for a couple of weeks,” Carlson said. “That’s something we expect when there are heavy rains.”

Weather service officials urged boaters, surfers and sightseers to stay away from unstable piers through today because they may have weakened during the storm.

But it was still a good day for gawkers.

In Seal Beach, a steady stream of spectators showed up to watch the powerful surf.

“This is an adventure for us,” said Pauline Negrete, 47, who drove from West Covina with sons Alex, 4, and Aaron, 7. “They saw the waves on TV and wanted to come here in person.”

Two or three hardy bodyboarders and surfers swam out into the pounding surf near high tide, which brought rough seas and waves in the 12- to 15-foot range.

“They’re nuts,” said Teresa Childers, 68, who had come to the pier with her husband Glen, 70. The Norwalk couple said they frequently come to Seal Beach to admire the ocean.

“It’s the sheer power of the ocean,” Glen Childers said.

Veteran storm watchers, the couple said they were at the beach several years ago when a storm washed away the pier.

“That was something to see,” Glen Childers said. “This isn’t all that much.”

Times staff writers Nick Anderson, David Reyes, Robert Ourlian, Deborah Schoch, Janet Wilson, David Haldane, Lisa Richardson and Davan Maharaj contributed to this report.

Awash in Wild Weather

* When it gets tough, these public servants get busy. A18

* 1969 cave-in still haunts Silverado residents. A19

* Another hard day’s night at County Storm Center. A19

* Other stories, graphics and photos A18-20

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

On the Waterfront

Weather forecasters called it stormy Monday, but Tuesday was just as bad. Nearly 2 inches of rain fell in some areas, while the county’s beaches continued to take a hit, forcing officials to close Newport Beach Pier. Rainfall around the county for 24 hours ending Tuesday at 4 p.m.:

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Anaheim 1.23 Brea 1.54 Corona del Mar 1.50 Costa Mesa 1.61 Dana Point 1.55 Garden Grove 1.57 Huntington Beach 1.57 Irvine 1.75 Laguna Beach 1.85 Lake Forest 1.50 Newport Beach 1.52 San Juan Capistrano 1.81 Santa Ana 1.80 Seal Beach 1.30 Westminster 1.38 Yorba Linda 1.46

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Santa Ana Totals

(as of 4 p.m. Tuesday)

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Season to date 12.33 Normal to date 7.07 Last season to date 14.80

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Swell Day

County beaches also got pounded Tuesday. Wave height up and down the coast, in feet:

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Dana Point 12-15 Huntington Beach 7-12 Newport Beach 8-12 Seal Beach 12-15

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Forecast

Lingering showers in early morning with decreasing clouds by early evening. Partly cloudy skies into Thursday. Increasing clouds Friday with chance of showers Saturday.

Weather Web Sites

For updated weather advisories and highway restrictions:

* California Highway Patrol, https://cad.chp.ca.gov

* National Oceanic and Atmospheric Assn., https://www.nwn.noaa.gov

Sources: WeatherData Inc.; CHP; NOAA; and the county Harbors, Beaches and Parks and Public Facilities and Resources departments.