Rain causes minor havoc

Mary A. Castillo

Rain crept in and hunkered down for a two-day stay last weekend,

bringing minor flooding, a power outage and rock slides to Laguna

Beach.

Approximately 4,000 residents woke up to dark houses at 7 a.m.

last Friday.

A palm frond blew into the lines, causing the outage, said Marlon

Walker, spokesman for Southern California Edison.

“Everything was back to normal by 10 a.m.,” he said.

The red flag conditions brought on by 6- to 8-foot waves combined

with high tides put lifeguards on alert, Marine Safety Chief Mark

Klosterman said.

No incidents were reported, and lifeguards spent a great deal of

Friday and Saturday keeping scuba divers and swimmers out of the

water and off rocky outcroppings.

“A lot of people judge our performance by rescues,” Klosterman

said. “But preventive measures are the cornerstone of general public

safety.”

The Laguna Beach Police Department received reports of minor

flooding on South Coast Highway near Aliso Creek Beach at 10:47 a.m.

Friday.

“They did have signs out and the number two lane was closed at

11:38 a.m.,” said Yvonne Washington, Caltrans spokeswoman.

The lane was reopened at 4:06 p.m. that same day.

Later that same evening, police received a report of a rock slide

on North Coast Highway at Boat Canyon Drive at 11:37 p.m.

Washington could not confirm the incident on behalf of Caltrans.

“The rocks were up to 10 to 12 inches in diameter,” said Steve

May, director of public works.