Tuesday’s OC El Nino storms brought mudslides, a dead sea lion

Heavy rainfall hammered Orange County Tuesday, causing a small mudslide in fire-denuded Silverado Canyon, but the bulk of the precipitation ended by mid-afternoon, giving residents a break — at least for a few hours.

A roughly 15-foot-wide mudslide in the 31300 block of Silverado Canyon Road made eastbound lanes impassable late this afternoon, according to Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Steve Concialdi. Public works crews were working to clear the road.

National Weather Service forecasters said the “bulk” of the storm had passed through Orange County by mid-afternoon, but there were still chances of isolated showers through evening, with another round of showers forecast for Wednesday.

There were no major incidents in the reigon other than a swiftwater rescue of a transient in his 40s who was swept up in fast-moving water about 9:45 a.m., according to Concialdi. The man was taken to an area hospital in moderate condition.

Witnesses called authorities when they saw the man, who was walking too closely to Brea Creek, get swept off his feet around Gilbert Street and Malvern Avenue in Fullerton, Concialdi said. The waters carried the man about a mile before he managed to struggle free at Malvern and Dale Street in Buena Park, Concialdi said.

“He was extremely cold and had abrasions to his feet and arms,” the captain said.

He warned residents that they can be swept away by as little as six inches of water. Cars can be swept along in a foot of water and SUVs in 18 inches of water, he added.

Some flooding occurred at Goldenwest Street and Heil Avenue in Huntington Beach, but there were no other major problems in that city, Officer Jennifer Marlatt said.

No significant weather-related incidents or flooding were reported in Seal Beach or Newport Beach either.

A dead sea lion was found in the flood control channel at Brookhurst Street on the border of Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach this afternoon, according to Orange County sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock.

It was a mystery how the animal got to the site, about a half-mile from the beach, but  likely had something to do with the stormy seas, with one lifeguard speculating it could have gotten there through the Santa Ana river.

In Silverado Canyon, residents were hunkering down and no one had heeded a voluntary evacuation call, Hallock said.

“Those people who live out there prepare for it and expect it,” Hallock said.

Dirt trails throughout the county’s parks system were closed until further notice, according to a parks spokeswoman, but paved trails were still open.

— City News Service