Orange County officials kept a close watch Tuesday on the fire-scarred Silverado Canyon area as rain threatened to cause flooding and mudslides, but so far residents in the threatened area have opted to stay put in their homes.
A voluntary evacuation order in the area took effect this morning, but while “a lot of people are prepared to go in the event of a mandatory evacuation,” so far the residents of the 40 or 50 homes that would be affected by an evacuation order were still at home, Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said.
A “soft road closure” is in effect in the 20000 block of Silverado Canyon, with deputies only allowing residents past road blocks, Hallock said.
Otherwise, no serious problems attributable to the rain were reported in the county, despite some minor crashes.
In Santa Ana, a hit-and-run driver crashed into a bus about 9:50 a.m. in the 1700 block of West First Street, according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna. Three passengers aboard the bus were treated at the scene for minor injuries but did not require hospitalization, he said.
The hit-and-run driver remained at large.
About 10 a.m., another driver lost control of his vehicle and hydro- planed across the opposite lane of traffic at Fifth and Fairview streets before slamming into a palm tree, knocking it down, Bertagna said. No one was hurt in the crash.
— City News Service