SoCal communities left with mud, damage after days of wet weather

It's been a busy few days for the Los Angeles Fire Department's Swift Water Rescue team. Crews responded to at least five calls of people in the L.A. River or washes that connect to the river.

The LAFD's Swift Water Rescue team has responded to at least five calls of people in the L.A. River or washes that connect to the river.

On Friday morning, an LAFD helicopter hoisted a woman out of fast-moving water. The call first came from Pacoima.

"She traveled for about five miles down river, so they ended up finding her in the Tujunga river at the Victory overpass. So about five miles," LAFD Capt. Adam Van Gerpen said. "She had some hypothermic conditions, she had cuts and scrapes and bruises over her, but she was awake and talking to the firefighters."

A few hours later, crews responded to another call of someone in the river. At that point, air operations were grounded because of weather, so teams set up at different points in the San Fernando Valley ready to rescue anyone they spotted. That person wasn't located.

Of the five calls the Swift Water Rescue team responded to, crews were only able to locate people on two of those calls. That doesn't necessarily mean three people are missing, just that when firefighters arrived, they didn't see anyone in the river.

Cleanup is underway after heavy rains slammed Wrightwood. Mudslides caused damage, and the storm also knocked out power for thousands of SoCal Edison customers.

Cleanup is underway after heavy rains slammed Wrightwood. Mudslides caused damage, and the storm also knocked out power for thousands of SoCal Edison customers.

All Evacuation Warnings in Wrightwood were lifted on Friday as the community begins to assess the damage from the Christmas Eve storm.

Video shows Oriole Road buried after a river of water sent mud, debris and charred wood down the mountain and into the homes below.

Several feet of mud buried cars and left streets coated in rain-soaked sludge.

The area was previously impacted by the Bridge Fire.

"With the area being softened, so to speak, by the burn scars from the fall of 2024, the area holds less water. So, the natural channels get overwhelmed," said Ryan Beckers with San Bernardino County Fire.

Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 Southern California Edison customers remain without power. With some areas still inaccessible, it could be some time before service is restored.

While Highway 2 and the 138 Freeway are open, some sections will need to be reinforced.

Power lines in several areas remain precariously supported by line trucks as repairs begin.

Local authorities are remaining on high alert as the rain continues to fall.

"So, we are in watch mode, and the other thing that we are doing is, we got some extra coverage here up here today. We got hand crews both here and in Lytle Creek, in case something does occur again," Beckers said.

In Lytle Creek, residents are also dealing with damage. More than 100 residents of the Happy Jack neighborhood are cut off from the rest of the community after their only access road washed away.

"It got so bad that with the rainfall and the rocks and debris. It completely washed away the bridge," resident Amber Guerrero said.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Boyle Heights on Christmas Day, leaving behind damaged roofs, broken windows and debris.

The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF-0 tornado touched down in Boyle Heights on Christmas Day, leaving behind damaged roofs, broken windows and debris.

A team of experts was sent to the area to tour the damage and surveillance video. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass joined the NWS in the area where the strong winds hit.

"NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard will be sending reps to conduct a storm survey this afternoon in Boyle Heights to investigate damage associated with a possible weak tornado that occurred yesterday morning," the NWS wrote in a post on social media. They later confirmed that it was, in fact, a tornado.

Videos shared with Eyewitness News show the strong winds in the area during the storm. Tornado Warnings were issued in the area.

No injuries were reported.

Southern California continues to see more damage and dangerous road conditions following days of heavy rain.

Carbon Canyon was closed in both directions Friday morning due to falling rocks, according to the Brea Police Department.

The closure will remain in effect until further notice.