LA crews work to close countless potholes after El Nino storms

SILVER LAKE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- El Nino-related rain opened a lot of potholes after the storms on Thursday, and crews were working hard to close them up.

Jonathan Whitehead was one of countless motorists who had to deal with potholes. It's almost a sure thing that after a heavy rain, you're going to have to deal with pretty deep potholes in Los Angeles.

Juan Olivarria drove in from the central coast, and when he got off the freeway, he felt it.

"The potholes up here on the surface streets loosen up, it's real obvious," he said. "When you hit one, it was like your teeth loosening up. I didn't hit one that big, but I hit couple where my glasses popped up, you know."

Nine L.A. Public Works Department crews were going from pothole to pothole from the valley to the east side and down to the south bay filling potholes as quickly as they could.

One crew was near Downtown for only a few minutes and then it was onto the next one at the intersection of La Cienega and Rodeo Drive, where quite a few cars hit a pothole that was several inches deep.

The L.A. Bureau of Street Services said it was ready for the 150 calls it had received since Tuesday for pothole repairs.

"There's been a working plan in place for quite a while preparing for El Nino," said Greg Spotts, the assistant director. "We've been ready for all of the resources that we need."

If your vehicle gets damaged after hitting a pothole in the city of L.A., you can file a claim with the city clerk office. To simply report a pothole, you can dial 311.