Search Suspended For Man Swept Away In Flash Floods

TEHACHAPI (AP) — Efforts to find a 67-year-old man swept away during flash flooding last week were suspended Tuesday because deep, wet mud in the area made the search too dangerous.

Much of the half-mile-long search area at the foot of the Tehachapi Mountains was covered in up to 6 feet of muck and debris, according to Kern County sheriff's spokesman Ray Pruitt.

"The searchers said it's like wading into quicksand," he said. "It's just not safe."

Officials hoped to resume the search Saturday for Richard Harvell, who was hit by mud and water as he tried to climb into his truck Thursday. A ferocious thunderstorm had unleashed flooding that inundated roads, homes and vehicles.

Harvell had been camping in the flash-flood zone with a childhood friend who watched helplessly as he was washed away, Harvell's daughter Susan Garcia said Monday.

Searchers were using cadaver dogs, but Garcia said the family was holding out hope that he's still alive.

The search area is south of State Route 58 in Tehachapi, where massive debris flows trapped more than 100 cars, buses, RVs and big-rig trucks.

Crews hauled away the last of the trapped vehicles Monday, but tons of hardened mud still needs to be removed before traffic starts flowing again, officials said. They hope to reopen the highway about 80 miles north of downtown Los Angeles by Thursday.

A new round of rain fell on the Los Angeles area Monday evening, causing some minor flooding on streets in Boyle Heights, east of downtown LA, before the storm moved toward the city's southwestern suburbs. No major damage or injuries were reported.

This past weekend, severe thunderstorms over Death Valley National Park knocked down power lines, sent mud into buildings and forced visitors and rangers to take shelter overnight at a campground and in a volcanic crater. No injuries were reported, park spokeswoman Abby Wines said Tuesday.

The flash flooding on Sunday damaged a road and left several feet of muck inside the visitor's center at Scotty's Castle, a Spanish-style mansion that offers guided tours. The mansion itself was not damaged but the attraction will likely be closed for several months, Wines said.

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