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Riverside County Mudslides Block Roads, Force Evacuations

SAN JACINTO (CBSLA.com) — The rain forced several rescues and evacuations overnight Thursday due to mudslides and flash floods in Riverside County.

The worst of the damage occurred in San Jacinto where rain and about up to 10 feet of mud trapped five cars and 14 people inside them on Gilman Springs Road.

When the CHP arrived on scene around 1:30 a.m., the road was washed out and a woman was screaming for help.

"I drove my truck across the mud, put my truck next to her vehicle and had her crawl out the window into my patrol vehicle along with the driver," Office Adrian Huerta said.

Resident Eric McKinley was on his way to work when the mud trapped him and his SUV.

"I didn't even realize it was mud that deep. I couldn't see. I started to slide to the side and I realized that's when I was in trouble," he said. "When I got out, the mud went up to my waist and I was contemplating if I am going to be able to walk out of here.".

PHOTOS: San Jacinto Damage

In a separate incident, a car and a motorcycle got stuck in surface mud on San Timoteo Canyon Road north of Moreno Valley around 2:45 a.m., officials said.

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Seven residences in the 20500 block of Gilman Springs Road near San Jacinto were evacuated early in the morning following a mudslide.

"We were sleeping actually, and my mother-in-law came up and said we need to evacuate," said San Jacinto resident Tyler Koharik. "The hill is completely on the side of the house now. It's a little scary."

No injuries or damage were reported as a result of the mudslides and authorities allowed residents to return to their homes later in the morning.

Western Riverside County was under a flash flood watch until the storm clears out of the area later Thursday.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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