Mandatory Evacuation Order In Burn Area Near San Juan Capistrano

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — Orange County canyon residents were issued a mandatory evacuation order by authorities Tuesday as a major winter storm hammered the Southland.

The storm prompted officials to issue flash flood warnings and wind advisories across the region.

A mandatory evacuation order was issued for Silverado Canyon, Williams Canyon and Modjeska Canyon just before noon. The affected areas are all located in the Bond Fire burn area are vulnerable to flash floods along or near the burn scar, the Orange County Sheriff's Department reported.

#Rain update: We’re in #OrangeCounty canyons and ready to handle any impacts in the #BondFire burn area. #OCCanyonFlood pic.twitter.com/0b1rN9pwCh
— OC Public Works (@OCpublicworks) December 14, 2021

The order comes after the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Watch at 11 a.m. for the burn scar area, amid potential flooding.

All canyon residents were urged by the Orange County Sheriff's Department to prepare their belongings and evacuate to a nearby shelter, especially those with disabilities, access and/or functional needs and canyon residents with large animals.

Orange County canyon residents with disabilities or other functional needs who need help evacuating are asked to call the OCSD's dispatch at 714-647-7000.

Storm related issues can be reported to Orange County Public Works at 714-955-0200 during business hours or 714-955-0333.

Those who need assistance with pets and large animal evacuation can call the county's animal care line at 714-935-0333.

A Care and Reception Center opens after 4 p.m. at the Lake Forest Sports Park, located at 2800 Rancho Parkway, Lake Forest. Meeting Room A will be available for residents to wait out the storm, and county reception center staff will be onsite to offer help, authorities said.

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Additionally, the American Red Cross will provide overnight, congregate shelter to residents unable to return to their homes. The shelter will have COVID-19 safety protocols in place, so don't forget to bring a mask and keep six feet of distance between you and the people around you.

RV and motorhome parking is also available, the OCSD said, but there are no electrical or gas hookups.

The flooding comes as California takes the brunt of an atmospheric river storm system that's swept the state this week.

The multiday storm was also forecast dump more than 8 feet of snow on the highest peaks in California.

Atmospheric rivers are "relatively long, narrow regions in the atmosphere — like rivers in the sky," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A bomb cyclone occurs when a storm undergoes bombogenesis, meaning it rapidly intensifies over a 24-hour period, according to NOAA.