Flooding at Dodger Stadium? Don't believe everything you see
Amid the chaos created by a so-called "hurriquake," several posts on social media garnered the attention of millions across the world even though they did not have much, if any, validity.
While Tropical Storm Hilary brought torrential rain to the area, smashing the century-old+ record for the daily total of rainfall in many parts of Los Angeles County, despite what you may have seen posted on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, it did not wash away iconic buildings or make hilltop arenas islands.
One of the posts that left some befuddled was an aerial view of the iconic Chavez Ravine landmark, Dodger Stadium.
While the original poster made no mention of the stadium flooding, some perceived the wet parking lot as catastrophic flooding, making the home of the Boys in Blue an island.
Turns out, it was just an illusion, which made it seem like Dodger Stadium, which was built on a hill, was surrounded by a moat of rainwater.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Mark Holtzman, president of Los Angeles-based company West Coast Aerial Photography, said that it's likely the image was an optical illusion created by the wet concrete. He added that the reflections in the water created an "opaque look" that makes the stadium appear like it was standing in water.
"It's just the way you've got the rain affecting it, you've got the light coming in on gray," said Holtzman.
Holtzman, who has flown over the stadium many times and has never seen or heard of it being flooded, noted the parking lot is not level, so water couldn't pool up.
"I've flown over at it, you know, all different times and all different, you know, dry and wet," he said. "It looks like a wet stadium."
Steve Brener, a Dodgers spokesperson, later confirmed that the stadium was not flooded and the team tweeted a response to the viral posts on Monday showing a dry, gray parking lot outside their home field.
Another viral tweet supposedly showed an L.A. Metro station flooding. Many Angelinos, however, were quick to call this one out. Anyone who has been on the Universal Studios will quickly recognize this scene from the "Earthquake" portion of the Backlot Tour. Twitter later added a tag to the post saying "This is a joke tweet however it is being misinterpreted as fact."
While these tweets may have driven an image of L.A. drowning under the weight of the record rainfall, should not detract from the disastrous conditions Hilary brought with her as other areas of Southern California did experience unprecedented flooding and damage.
Areas like Palm Springs, Wrightwood, Oak Glen and Seven Oaks faced mud and debris flows that trapped some residents in their homes, blocked streets and just generally wreaked havoc in their communities.
