Jackson Bell
A man died early Friday when his car spun out on a rain-slicked
freeway, and officials worried that continued rains could bring
mudslides in local foothills.
The 23-year-old Altadena man, whose name was not released, was
driving east on the Ventura (134) Freeway at speeds up to 80 mph in
his 1996 Ford Mustang when, at about 1:30 a.m., he lost control and
slammed into a guard rail near Verdugo Boulevard, California Highway
Patrol Officer Vince Bell said.
He was pronounced dead at Huntington Memorial Hospital, Bell said.
And besides a few spin outs on the freeways, the rain caused
little disruption to freeway traffic flow in the Glendale area, he
said. Few crashes occurred on city streets, Glendale Police Sgt.
Brian Cohen said.
"It hasn't been that bad," Cohen said. "I'm not sure if people are
getting used to the rain or not, but we have been OK."
Bruce Rockwell, a National Weather Service forecaster, predicted
between 1 1/2 to 2 inches of rainfall by this morning.
The city's infrastructures and homes have been holding up against
the precipitation, but the threat of a weeklong downpour is
worrisome, officials said. Areas considered vulnerable to mudslides
and other weather-related calamities are Chevy Chase Canyon and Chevy
Chase Canyon Golf Club, Linda Vista Avenue, Kennington Drive and
Sleepy Hollow, a hillside community near Cavanaugh Road, city
officials said.
Gladys Drive, Camino San Rafael, Cavanaugh Road and Ridgeview
Drive are all still closed because of last month's storms.
"We are OK for now, but we have the whole night to get through,"
city engineer Lou LeBlanc said. "We're concerned that continuous
rains will be really hard on slopes that are still saturated [from
the last storms]. We just hope that the rain goes away quickly, that
we don't have anymore storms and everything gets dried out."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency encourages those whose
homes have been damaged by last month's rainstorms to find out if
they are eligible for federal relief by calling (800) 621-FEMA or
visiting http://www.fema.gov.
Homeowners and renters who have questions about federal funding
can visit the nearest FEMA assistance center at 730 E. Altadena Road,
in Altadena. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
"The process can be daunting, and this is a good chance for people
to sit down and have one-to-one talks [with representatives]," Shea
said.
* JACKSON BELL covers public safety and courts. Reach him at (818)
637-3232 or by e-mail at jackson.bell@latimes.com.
