In a flash, the Los Angeles River can go from deceptively dry to dangerously full of swift moving water during a rainstorm. Year after year, the LAFD and other agencies sound the alarm, warning people to keep out of the L.A. River. Getting caught in it during a downpour can be deadly. Watch as members of the LAFD and the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) share some important storm and flood safety tips.
L.A. River: Built to prevent disaster
For most of the year, the L.A. River does not appear to even resemble a true river, it looks more like a concrete flood control channel. The Army Corps of Engineers worked with Los Angeles County agencies to channelize 52 miles of the L.A. River to move water quickly and avoid flooding urban areas after the devastating and fatal floods of 1938.
Once heavy rains hit the Los Angeles Basin, those dry concrete channels fill with storm water runoff which can rapidly reach maximum capacity. Gravity moves the rain runoff from the base of the mountains down to the Pacific Ocean. The danger comes with water racing up to 26 miles per hour and in some areas, 300 to 450 feet wide across, a speed matching the flow of the mighty Mississippi River.
Heavy rains also may flood city streets and other areas that make it temporarily unsafe for driving or even walking.
FACT: Only six inches of flowing floodwater can knock you off your feet and less than two feet is all that is needed to set your car afloat
Flash Flood Warnings
Hours of heavy rains can produce dangerous conditions, especially for those living in flood-prone areas. The National Weather Service is a great resource for flash flood watch or flash flood warnings. A watch means conditions are ripe for flooding while a warning means flooding is already occurring.
Swift Water Safety Tips: Turn around, don’t drown!
These tips are meant to keep you safe in heavy rain events:
- Always follow evacuation order instructions and move to higher ground.
- Never drive through floodwater or around barricades.
- Avoid bridges or overpasses with swift flowing water underneath.
- First call 911 if you are in your vehicle afloat and stay inside unless water begins rising, then is the only time you exit and make your way to the roof.
- If you encounter flowing water from heavy rains whether walking or driving, keep in mind the saying “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”
By Shawna McLean
Additional Reporting by Charles Stewart