River of mud and debris forces some Studio City residents to shelter-in-place
Los Angeles Fire Department crews were on the scene assessing damage in the neighborhood of Fredonia Drive and Lankershim Boulevard Tuesday morning.
Around midnight part of the hillside gave way, bringing substantial mud and debris flows. Crews were clearing roadways of trees and other debris Tuesday morning.
"They've been working out here all morning," said homeowner Lucy Broadbent.
The heavy rain flooded Broadbent's basement.
"I do not have flood insurance," she said. "And this will not cover it."
Firefighters were going door to door to talk to residents. Residents of about 12 to 17 homes in the area of Fredonia and Lankershim were advised to shelter in place Tuesday morning. Several homes in the area were affected by flooding and mud accumulation.
LAFD said there was no structural damage to any homes.
"Part of our response, we brought in the Urban Search and Rescue Team, we also brought in heavy equipment and we started to try to remove some of the debris here, but the standing water is too much, so we're going to have to wait until the rain subsides and it dries out a little bit and we're able to move some of that mud out of there," said LAFD Battalion Fire Chief Tim Ramirez.
Streets were not completely passable because of standing water and debris, and at least one vehicle was stuck in about 2 to 4 feet of water.
Mudslides affected other areas of the valley, such as the Stone Canyon area of Sherman Oaks.
"Gushes of water, heard that coming on the side," said homeowner Ruben Quiñones, who was working in his office when the mudslide began. "Realized it started piling up... Went out through the back, put my boots on — kind of fell into it. Realized this is much worse than I thought."
Quiñones, his wife and two daughters had to leave their home by the time fire crews arrived. The family had only moved into the house two months ago during Thanksgiving.
