SoCal Storm Wreaks Havoc, Landslides And Flooding Across OC

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — Heavy rains pelted Orange County all Wednesday morning, creating havoc on roadways and residential neighborhoods and unleashing more than two inches of rain in cities across the region.

Across the county, most Orange County cities saw over two inches of rain, the Orange County Public Works Department reported.

South Orange County communities saw the most rain, with Coto de Caza gathering 3.82 inches of rain and Holy Jim Canyon gathering 3.11 inches of rain.

Landslides In South Orange County

In San Clemente, four homes in a seaside neighborhood were evacuated after the hillside they were built on started to collapse Wednesday morning.

The homes were yellow-tagged and are currently being assessed by city officials as of Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities were sent to the 1500 block of Buena Vista at 8:18 a.m. and immediately cleared the three buildings of residents. The buildings on 1501, 1503 and 1505 Buena Vista have been yellow tagged by the Orange County Fire Authority.

At 1 p.m. Wednesday, a fourth neighboring apartment building was deemed unsafe, yellow tagged and evacuated by Orange County firefighters.

We are currently working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and staff from the City of San Clemente to determine the severity of this landslide," an OCFA spokesperson said.

No injuries were reported.

In Dana Point, early morning commuters suffered landslide-induced headaches, after a rock and debris dropped onto Pacific Coast Highway and closed both sides of the road early Wednesday morning.

The roadway was expected to be cleaned and cleared by 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dana Point officials told Patch.

Flooding On Orange County Roadways

In Huntington Beach, Caltrans announced a full closure of Pacific Coast Highway from Seapoint Street to Warner Avenue Tuesday night due to heavy rains causing flooding conditions.

Caltrans officials told the Orange County Register that the roadway may be closed in Huntington Beach until Thursday.

This particular stretch of Pacific Coast Highway has been closed several times this year, with the most closure happening in late January after a tide surge event caused the roadway to flood.

Public works crews also took to the roadways of Orange County's foothill and canyon communities early Wednesday morning amid a steady downpour of rain to tackle flooding roads and landslides.

In Silverado, crews cleared a small mud and rock slide that stretched across one lane of a roadway early Wednesday morning. Engineers are currently assessing the stability of the slope that collapsed, OC Public Works said.

On Santiago Canyon Road, Orange County crews worked through the morning directing traffic as they cleared mud and water from the roadway to ensure travelers could get through.

Orange County residents were urged to drive the roadways carefully.