With Hurricane Hilary set to hit Southern California in earnest on Sunday, officials have announced evacuations in some high-risk areas.
The storm has prompted officials to cancel events and issue dire alerts, particularly as the system moves across southwestern California on Sunday and Monday.
The National Weather Service issued a tropical storm warning at 8 p.m. Friday for the area from the California-Mexico border to Point Mugu and for Catalina Island.
Catalina Island
National Weather Service forecasters’ warning of lashing winds, intense rain and harrowing conditions along the beaches prompted Los Angeles County officials to advise people on Catalina Island, particularly those with medical conditions or those who might be in need of help during a natural disaster, to evacuate on the Catalina Express.
The county noted there could be prolonged utility outages on the island.
The general conditions for Sunday in Catalina are expected to be similar to those elsewhere in Southern California, said Rose Schoenfeld, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
But because the harbor there is more exposed and getting to Catalina can require a boat ride on seas that could potentially be affected by high winds and big surf, “we’re pretty much advising not to take a trip to Catalina Island,” she said.
San Bernardino Mountains
Flood concerns also prompted San Bernardino County sheriff‘s officials to issue an evacuation warning for the Oak Glen, Forest Falls, Mountain Home Village, Angelus Oaks and Northeast Yucaipa regions Saturday morning.
General guidance
Officials have urged residents to keep informed because more evacuations might be called.
During a press conference Friday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert G. Luna urged residents to heed the warnings and prepare for the approaching tropical storm before the full force of it is expected to hit the region.
“I don’t want people to panic,” Luna said. We have to find that sweet spot.”
The department’s search and rescue, swift water rescue, and rescue aircraft have already been placed on alert in case of emergencies, he said, and the department also plans to deploy additional personnel on patrol starting Sunday, when the bulk of the storm’s force is expected to reach the county.
Cancellations, closures
Several area baseball games scheduled for Sunday have been moved to become split doubleheaders on Saturday, according to a Major League Baseball news release. Tickets for Sunday’s games will now be good for Saturday’s early afternoon games.
A variety of other cultural and entertainment events, including the CicLAvia bike ride in Hollywood, were cancelled.
Here is a full list.
Los Angeles County’s parks department announced the temporary closure Sunday and Monday of all parks and other facilities, and the cancellation of all programs and classes, “out of an abundance of caution.”
The closures will affect all 181 parks managed by the county, as well as 40 neighborhood parks, 11 nature centers, 43 swimming pools and more than 200 miles of trails used for hiking, biking and horseback riding, officials with the Los Angeles County Parks system said in a statement.
“While parks are not fenced in, visitors are encouraged to stay home,” officials said. Picnic shelters, playgrounds, restrooms, swim beaches and four botanical gardens — the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, the South Coast Botanic Garden, Descanso Gardens, and Virginia Robinson Gardens — will also be closed, the county said.
