2008 Woodie Awards
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Mudslides, torrential rain cause problems in California
By Valerie Smith on 3/24/05
The past winter has brought uncharacteristic weather to many regions of the United States. While most AU students spent the season living on campus, friends and family coped with unusual conditions.
The most devastating weather has affected Southern California, which was hit with heavy rains throughout February.
As of Monday, certain areas of Southern California had received a near record-breaking 46 inches of precipitation since July 1, making them comparable to other rain-soaked cities such as Portland, Ore., and Seattle, which both receive around 37 inches of average yearly rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. In past weeks, California has been hit particularly hard by a series of storms and snow melts that caused mudslides, flooding and unsafe conditions for travel.
There have been more instances of traffic, depression and a general slower pace among California residents, according to Santa Monica resident Kaya Foster.
Though they are almost 3,000 miles away, many AU students from Southern California had friends or family affected by the storms. Emily Samstag, a student from the Los Angeles area, said some of her friends, including Foster, were in Southern California riding out the rain.
Cloudy weather has probably affected the attitudes of longtime locals who are accustomed to California's consistent sunny skies, said Eric Boldt of the National Weather Service Branch in Oxnard, Calif.
Others have been forced to make significant adjustments as the rain damaged their property.
"We've responded to a lot of calls in the last six days, especially about house slippages," said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to Vernon, some homes in the more affluent regions of Southern California were built on hillsides that are now eroding with the loosened soil caused by the rainfalls. AU students also have been affected by this problem.
"My mom has friends in La Conchita who were killed in a mudslide," Foster said.
The most devastating weather has affected Southern California, which was hit with heavy rains throughout February.
As of Monday, certain areas of Southern California had received a near record-breaking 46 inches of precipitation since July 1, making them comparable to other rain-soaked cities such as Portland, Ore., and Seattle, which both receive around 37 inches of average yearly rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. In past weeks, California has been hit particularly hard by a series of storms and snow melts that caused mudslides, flooding and unsafe conditions for travel.
There have been more instances of traffic, depression and a general slower pace among California residents, according to Santa Monica resident Kaya Foster.
Though they are almost 3,000 miles away, many AU students from Southern California had friends or family affected by the storms. Emily Samstag, a student from the Los Angeles area, said some of her friends, including Foster, were in Southern California riding out the rain.
Cloudy weather has probably affected the attitudes of longtime locals who are accustomed to California's consistent sunny skies, said Eric Boldt of the National Weather Service Branch in Oxnard, Calif.
Others have been forced to make significant adjustments as the rain damaged their property.
"We've responded to a lot of calls in the last six days, especially about house slippages," said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to Vernon, some homes in the more affluent regions of Southern California were built on hillsides that are now eroding with the loosened soil caused by the rainfalls. AU students also have been affected by this problem.
"My mom has friends in La Conchita who were killed in a mudslide," Foster said.