Woman and her dog missing after mudflows slam parts of San Bernardino County
MARY FITSZ
A photo shows a house and the remains of a trailer that collapsed into mudflows in San Bernardino County, Friday, Feb. 13, 2011, as rain and snow continued to cause widespread flooding and mudslides. (AP Photo/JOSHUA J. TAPSCOTT)
Mudslides that have swept into many parts of the nation’s most populous state are destroying homes, turning streets into rivers and stranding residents, and destroying vehicles and vehicles. Cars and trucks that washed down hillsides were scattered by the storm’s fury.
One road in San Bernardino County remains a morass of mud and debris even as the sun comes out and temperatures break 70 degrees – and many Californians still are forced to live under a blanket of water and snow.
The National Weather Service’s 5th and 6th degree floods, which is the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane, forced emergency officials to close four San Bernardino County schools. Another school in San Bernardino County, the San Bernardino County School District, shut down after a half-million-gallon flood was reported at a high school where more than 70 students attend.
The weather service issued a flash flood warning for the San Bernardino County region, saying flash flooding was occurring with rainfall rates of up to 4 inches per hour.
The city of San Bernardino, which includes the county, declared a state of emergency Friday and said it has already deployed hundreds of water rescues, but that there are many still in need of help.
The National Weather Service confirmed that San Bernardino has reported more than 70 inches of rain since the first of the year to date on only a few days.
“With the amount of rain now being reported in the San Bernardino County area, residents who live in flood-prone areas like the foothills are at an increased risk of disaster due to increased flooding,” the NWS said.
A National Weather service in San Bernardino County had reported about 18 inches of rain Thursday and 6 inches so far Friday.
The National Weather Service said it was concerned about the possibility of mudslides this weekend and into next week.
“We’re going