Duarte Bracing For More Damage When Third Storm Hits LA Early Sunday

DUARTE (CBSLA.com) – The third in a series of powerful rainstorms is expected to hit the Southland early Sunday morning.

Duarte residents living in the burn zone from the June 2016 Fish Fire are bracing for what could be the worst of the three storms.

Melcanyon Road in Duarte remains blocked off after mud came down Friday. Crews would be out Saturday to remove the mud, but more was expected to come down Sunday.

Mud has repeatedly come down over the last month. Mud flow in the burn area has been powerful enough to lift heavy K-rails and floods streets and yards.

Local officials were advising residents to clean up and prepare for Sunday before the rain arrives and it's too late to do so.

"It is, it's too late, as we've seen here in the city of Duarte, once we had just light rain, five minutes later we had a downpour, and significant downpour," Duarte Resident Rudy Fuentes said.

During Friday's rains Fuentes made a make-shift dam but it drifted away.

"We found them down around the corner and we'll bring them back and try again."

Dams were busted and sand bags didn't hold as this hilly street got slammed by Mother Nature yet again. But unlike in recent weeks, they don't have days to clean it up, more rain is coming.

This could be a continuous problem for years to come for Duarte residents in the Fish Fire burn zone.

Meanwhile, some areas of Los Angeles could see scattered showers Saturday. The National Weather Service forecast calls for a 20 percent chance of showers Saturday with westerly winds of up to 25 mph. The chance of rain increases to 60 percent just after midnight Saturday.

Of the three rain systems that have moved through the area this week, Sunday's is expected to be the coldest and windiest, but not necessarily the wettest. Wind advisories and other warnings are expected to be in effect for most of the day.

Friday's system brought heavy rain and high winds that saw trees toppled, power lines downed and streets flooded and closed.

Five people were rescued from a homeless encampment in the Sepulveda Basin. One was reached by swift water rescue crew in a boat.

Fallen trees and downed power lines were reported throughout the region, with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power saying that about 10,000 of its customers had lost electrical service in various areas, including Van Nuys, where a tree took out wires and knocked out service to about 1,000
customers, including at Van Nuys Airport.

Stretches of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and Pacific Palisades were closed Friday by flooding and downed power lines and mud flowed onto the California Incline, closing that link between PCH and Santa Monica.

Flash flood warnings were issued for the Sand, Sage and Calgrove burn areas in northern Los Angeles County while residents of the waterfront Long Beach Peninsula were warned of storm surge danger amid high surf.

In Orange County, a flash flood watch was in force through the evening with warnings that thunderstorms could strike Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, San Clemente, Yorba Linda and Mission Viejo, according to the National Weather Service.

Snow piled up in some local mountain areas, with levels expected to fall to between 4,000 and 5,000 feet through Saturday morning, prompting officials at the sheriff's Palmdale Station to warn people of avalanche danger in the Wrightwood area.

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