135 people are cut off by flooding in the mountains of Southern California
Thursday January 13, 2005
By DAISY NGUYEN
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) Rescuers organized an airlift Thursday to take food and medical supplies to about 135 people cut off for at least four days by flooding in the mountains above Los Angeles.

``It's been tense around here. We're running out of food, so when we get our food shipped in, it should keep the edge off things,'' Lt. Tim Dowling of the volunteer fire department in the stranded community of Follows Camp said by cell phone.

The raging, storm-swollen San Gabriel River washed out three bridges around Follows Camp, tucked into a canyon in the rugged Angeles National Forest about 30 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

``We're completely separated from the rest of the world,'' Dowling said.

Residents had spotty radio and telephone contact because the batteries of the solar-powered cellular tower ran down. It was not until Wednesday, when the skies cleared, that a search-and-rescue team was able to fly in to assess the situation.

The helicopter team flew out a heart patient needing special medication and a 10-year-old boy who had been visiting friends.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department obtained donated food and supplies and planned to return Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, residents of the camp were cleaning up from flooding that damaged cabins and washed away half of the community's fire equipment, including a fire engine that fell into the river Monday, Dowling said.

``We also have a huge sanitation problem because our garbage is piling up, but there's no way to get it out of here,'' he said.

During two days of nonstop rain, the river rose 22 feet above normal, but has slowly subsided, Dowling said.

The area was originally a gold-mining site started in 1862. Follows Camp was founded three decades later by an Englishman hoping to find a cure for his tuberculosis.

Dowling said he and many residents are drawn to the community by its rustic beauty and abundant wildlife.

``Now it looks like a martian landscape,'' he said. ``It feels like an end of an era to some degree because it's going to be tough to rebuild.''

Ran out of food in four days???

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

I would think campers would have more than a 4 day food supply.

I wonder how many of them are goat milkers and candle makers?

AR15fan, you are now my official news source.

There was PLENTY of warning on this storm system.  No one downplayed the fact that it was going to be a bitch and yet people directly in the path just went on as normal, not planning to do a damn thing to secure their own welfare.

Sorry, I have no sympathy for people that RUN OUT OF FOOD IN FOUR DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More of the "Oh, nothing will happen to *ME* and if it does, well, someone will take care of it."

hippies

Airlift them nothing but red meat.  That way you can make sure only the sane ones survive.

Geee, that's too bad....

Quoted: Quoted: Airlift them nothing but red meat.  That way you can make sure only the sane ones survive. Hahah, that's pretty good. "No I won't eat that, it's red me" - Croke

Probably need to cross post this to the CA Forum.  Unfortunately the Burro Canyon Range for the shoot this Sunday is further up the San Gabriel Canyon.  There is a single alternate route but that appears to be out too.

The story is a little different from the one that was on the radio this evening.  That's FRESH food they are out of.  They do have  cable trolley over the river to get things in, but it's getting a little hairy.

Quoted: Geee, that's too bad....

Feeeeeeel the love... just for that we're gonna send you a few thousand extra Californians to raise land and housing prices where you live.

We're taking over the world, one state at a time!  

You think that's bad?  One of the most remote communities in the US has been cut off without power in a sub-zero blizzard for 4 days now. No power in -40 weather.

seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=AK%20Kaktovik%20Outage


An arfcom member, AK_Mike, works in that neck of the woods at a DOD installation.