Two-Year-Old Killed In Storm

Storm Claims At Least Nine Victims

Jan 10, 2005 10:30 am US/Pacific
LOS ANGELES (AP) A toddler who slipped from her mother's grasp as they were being rescued from a swollen wash in Palmdale was found dead Monday as California braced for a fifth day of torrential rain. The storm has killed at least nine, forced evacuations, halted train service, closed schools, swamped freeways and knocked out power to thousands.

The wet weather wasn't expected to let up until Wednesday, with isolated thunderstorms bringing as much as 6 inches of rain through Tuesday and an additional 2 feet of snow at elevations above 7,500 feet. Dense fog and 25-mph winds were also forecast.

"We're going to be getting more of the same harsh weather," said Curt Kaplan, a National Weather Service forecaster.

The storm system was to blame for at least nine deaths, including a man killed when his vehicle plunged into the surf off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, a 43-year-old homeless man buried alive by a mudslide and another man washed away by a bulging river near Ventura County's Ojai area.

In Palmdale, a 2-year-old girl fell from her mother's arms as rescuers lifted them from their vehicle, which became stuck in a flooded wash Sunday night, said sheriff's Lt. Don Ford. The toddler was located early Monday in the wash and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The woman, who was not immediately identified, had driven around barricades.

In Cerritos, a man whose car skidded off Interstate 5 into a storm drain Sunday was swept two miles downstream, authorities said. Firefighters threw him a rope from a bridge and started pulling him up but he lost his grip and plummeted back into the swift current. He was later pulled onto the riverbank. Two children in the car also were rescued.

"The last I heard he is unhurt and in good spirits," fire Capt. Mike Yule told CNN.

Roads clogged with rain and mud, and at least 720 crashes were reported on Sunday, more than three times the number of accidents during the previous Sunday when streets were dry, authorities said. Rockslides forced closure of Pacific Coast Highway near Big Sur. A warning was temporarily posted for a minor tornado in Ventura County Monday but officials were still investigating whether it occurred.

Officials said downtown Los Angeles received 5.16 inches of rain since Friday and set a new record with Sunday's amount of 2.58 inches. The prodding system was expected churn ashore by Tuesday and then head east.

The same storm is dumping heavy snow across the Sierra Nevada, which stranded an Amtrak train, shut down the Reno, Nev., airport for the second time in a week and halted motorists over the mountains. Winter storm warnings were in effect with as much as 5 feet of new snow possible by Tuesday morning on top of Saturday's accumulations of up to 4.5 feet.

The series of storms, characterized by officials as the snowiest in the Reno-Lake Tahoe area since 1916, led to the death of 13-year-old boy when an avalanche knocked him from a ski lift at the Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas. The boy was found late Sunday night, police said.

In Southern California, about 60 homes were evacuated in a remote community in San Bernardino County because of flooding, and rising water chased about 150 residents out of a neighborhood in Santa Clarita on Sunday.

"The wall broke and water just came crashing down," said Rebecca Hayes, 16. "It destroyed my friend's house."

Flooding in San Diego County, meanwhile, trapped at least five motorists on Sunday night, authorities said. All were rescued and no major injuries were reported.

Thousands also temporarily lost power over the weekend, one hillside residence collapsed, and several Los Angeles-area radio stations were knocked off the air for hours Sunday after trouble with transmitters.

Some Metrolink and Amtrak train service was also canceled due to storm-related damage and mudslides. Service from several stations in Ventura, as well as trains from Los Angeles to Burbank were stopped for Monday as well.

Rim of the World Unified School District in the San Bernardino Mountains announced several of its schools were closed Monday as well as one school in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Pepperdine University also canceled classes.

In Palmdale, a 2-year-old girl fell from her mother's arms as rescuers lifted them from their vehicle, which became stuck in a flooded wash Sunday night, said sheriff's Lt. Don Ford. The toddler was located early Monday in the wash and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The woman, who was not immediately identified, had driven around barricades.

The Legislature has let us down by failing to ban storms.

Quoted: A toddler who slipped from her mother's grasp as they were being rescued from a swollen wash in Palmdale was found dead Monday

The mom in this instance was very stupid, this woman drove went arround a barrier that was put up to prevent people from get their vehicles stuck. A very dumb and unfortunate mistake

Quoted: Two-Year-Old Killed In Storm In Palmdale, a 2-year-old girl fell from her mother's arms as rescuers lifted them from their vehicle, which became stuck in a flooded wash Sunday night, said sheriff's Lt. Don Ford. The toddler was located early Monday in the wash and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The woman, who was not immediately identified, had driven around barricades.

That is just sad. The poor child had to pay for the mother's apparent impatience. She will suffer the rest of her life with that burden on her shoulders.