Heavy Rain Spares Orange County Residents, Brings Back Dana Point Landmark
DANA POINT (CBSLA) — The newest winter storm has brought flash flood warnings, mandatory evacuations and a lot of wet weather to the Southland.
Orange County residents specifically in the Modjeska, Williams and Silverado Canyon areas have grown accustomed to voluntary evacuation warnings turning mandatory over the month of December, as storm after storm have moved through the West Coast.
Thankfully, once again, they were spared from the worst, as officials feared that mudslides in the Bond Fire Burn Scar areas would overrun houses and roads in the area.
Mandatory evacuation orders that were issued ahead of Wednesday's storm were lifted early Thursday morning, and locals headed back home to assess what minor damage needed to be taken care of.
In turn, many residents made their way to Dana Point, to witness a landmark that only occurs during the wettest of storms - the Dana Point Waterfalls.
The weather attraction, known mostly amongst locals, is a good gauge for how much rain has fallen during a storm. One resident, Ava Madden, first visited the local wonder when she was just three years old. Now, a few years later, she got to revisit with her little sister in tow, "I was like 'Whoa that's amazing!' I was just smiling. And now my sister gets to see it for her first time like me."
Located near Dana Point Harbor, three waterfalls cascaded over the cliffs due to the record-breaking amount of rainfall that covered much of Southern California.
Despite the persistent precipitation, locals were excited with the return of their beloved, and rare, waterfalls. "Things like this are special and cherished," said Ladera Ranch resident and Ava's father Sean Madden, "Things to celebrate, we need the rain, we need the snow in the mountains - it's nice!"
Silverado Canyon resident Brion Lussier did not share the same sentiment; "A bit worn out to be honest. ... It wears on you for sure," he said. Residents in the Bond Fire burn scar area have been forced to evacuate multiple times in December due to impending rainfall, and while they understand potential implications -flash floods, debris flows and mud slides - they're fed up with having to leave their homes.
Other residents were looking at the silver lining, taking advantage of little things. One young Los Angeles resident, Faith Collins, told CBS reporters that, "I think it's a good thing, because I like to jump over the puddles and my grandma, she has a lot of plants."
Her friend, Syreisha Gardner, also with plants in mind, told reporters that, "The rain is nice because it helps a lot of trees, it helps us get good air around us."
While the rainfall has caused extensive damage to roadways and structures, at the hands of flooding, mud and rockslides, it has also been beneficial for the state of California, making a positive impact on the statewide drought.
