5.1-magnitude earthquake shakes southern California while Tropical Storm Hilary threatens millions with flooding
A 5.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Southern California Sunday afternoon as the region braced for Tropical Storm Hilary after it made landfall along the Baja California peninsula — killing one person in Mexico and leaving millions more open to devastating flooding.
The earthquake first struck just southeast of the city of Ojai — about 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles — around 2:45 p.m. as residents faced Hilary’s torrential rain.
The 5.1 quake was followed by more than a dozen aftershocks ranging from 2.5 to 3.8 on the Richter scale, the East BayTimes reported.
The quakes were felt from Ventura to Los Angeles counties, the outlet reported.
There were no immediate reports of damage from the startling rumbling, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said on social media.
The quake came as Hilary — weakened from a hurricane to a tropical storm – barreled toward San Diego after it touched down just south of Ensenada, Mexico, earlier Sunday. While downgraded, officials and forecasters still issued grave warnings to take the storm seriously with gusts as high as 65 mph.
One man drowned Saturday in the Mexican town of Santa Rosalia when a car carrying a family of five was swept away by an overwhelming stream of water, local officials said.
The other four people were rescued.
The eye of the storm was expected to reach San Diego by late Sunday afternoon and travel northeast, National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sirard told the Los Angeles Times.
“It’s the high-intensity rainfall in a short period of time that causes the flooding and flash flooding,” he said. “That’s the danger. …. flooding can happen very quickly with this kind of system.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria declared a local emergency Sunday afternoon as officials warned residents the worst of the deadly storm had yet to reach the city.
“I ask San Diegans to stay home and stay safe,” he said on X, formerly Twitter as the National Weather Service even warned of possible tornadoes in the eastern part of the typically sunny city.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also signed off on an emergency declaration while authorities in Los Angeles continued to scramble and get homeless people off the streets and into shelters ahead of the storm’s impact.
“If you do not need to be on the road, please don’t get in your car,” she said during a news conference Sunday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom posted on X, “Stay safe, California” after declaring a statewide emergency.
At least nine million people were under flash-flood warnings.
Mud spilled onto highways and tree branches fell down across San Diego and Los Angeles as some drainage systems were already overwhelmed by the deluge of rain from the first tropical storm to hit California in 84 years.
Death Valley National Park closed the entire park Sunday afternoon.
“Many roadways have already experienced significant debris flows, undercutting and complete shoulder loss,” the park’s website stated. “Emergency services probably won’t be able to respond.”
Additionally, Disneyland Resort announced it was shuttering its Anaheim park Sunday “for the safety of guests and cast members,” according to an announcement.
An NBC LA reporter posted a video of flooding Sunday as he left Universal Studios.
“We just pulled out from the Universal lot and we’ve already seen several streets and intersections flooded,” reporter Alex Rozier tweeted.
Ahead of the storm, some frenzied Californians were seen razing store shelves of necessities like batteries, bottled water and flashlights.
Most items capable of offering light amid a power outage — including candles, flashlights, batteries and lanterns — were sold out of Los Angeles-based retailers by Saturday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reported.
While stores were picked clean Saturday night, gas stations became inundated. At one Arco station in Echo Park, cars waiting to fill up at the station’s 12 pumps were lined up all the way into the street
“Three inches in one day is a lot,” said Emma Rodriguez, 26, as she filled her tank and stocked up on snacks at the gas station.
“Hopefully it isn’t that bad and we can just eat snacks and watch Netflix,” Rodriguez told the outlet.
Other states bordering California were also bracing for bruising weather.
The Mohave County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona issued an evacuation order for parts of Lake Mead National Park due to flooding risks.
Forecasters have warned that Hilary could bring up to 10 inches — or a year’s worth of rain for some areas — in southern California and southern Nevada.
“This does not lessen the threat, especially the flood threat,” Jamie Rhome, the US National Hurricane Center’s deputy director, said Saturday while announcing the storm’s downgraded status. “Don’t let the weakening trend and the intensity lower your guard.”
Mexico’s navy evacuated 850 people from islands off the Baja coast and deployed almost 3,000 troops for emergency operations. Most beaches along the Baja California Sur and into San Diego and Orange counties have been closed.
Overall, almost 1,900 people have been evacuated to shelters in the Baja California peninsula, according to the country’s army.
With Post wires
