Main road arteries into Malibu were shut down Tuesday, including PCH and Malibu Canyon Road. Kanan Dume Road was down to one lane Tuesday evening.
By Kevin Connelly/A Special to The Malibu Times
Tornado warnings, landslides and fallen trees shutting off main arteries to Malibu, flooded roads and bridges, and several accidents were the result of the latest storms to hit the Southland beginning last week.
This week’s storm has led to closures on Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu Canyon Road, Encinal Canyon Road, Birdview Avenue and Fernhill Drive and Kanan Dume Road. The most prominent of these, the closure on PCH, was caused by a landslide at Tuna Canyon around noon. According to a report issued Tuesday afternoon on the city’s Web site, PCH was closed in both directions between Big Rock Drive and Topanga Canyon. The slide did not appear to be very large and only blocked one lane, however, Caltrans officials were worried that the hill above the slide might come down as well, so shut both lanes down. A larger landslide on PCH near Las Flores Canyon Road took place later in the evening, and a city advisory issued at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday stated that PCH would be closed Wednesday.
One westbound lane of PCH between Big Rock Drive and Las Flores Canyon Road is closed until Friday for repair work.
Malibu Canyon Road was closed in both directions as a result of a significant rockslide that took place in the early morning hours near the tunnel. Officials said it might take several days to repair, possibly by Friday. Flooding on Birdview Avenue restricted the road to one lane near the 7100-address area. There was also a lane closure on Fernhill Drive at the time of the report. The city did not have a timeframe for the repairs of these closures, including a rockslide at Encinal Canyon closing both lanes.
Kanan Dume Road was down to one lane as of 6 p.m. Tuesday due to a reported fallen tree and landslide, and was completely closed at Mulholland Highway by 7:30 p.m. with no estimated reopening time. And, at approximately 6 p.m. as well, a mudslide at Decker Canyon Road and PCH was reported, closing the road with no estimated re-opening time.
A three-car traffic accident on PCH near Bonsall Drive Saturday injured several people, and one accident on PCH at Dan Blocker State Beach ended with a large SUV on its side late Tuesday afternoon; the victim walked away with minor injuries. Another accident was reported at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday on Topanga Canyon Boulevard at Brookside Drive on the CHP traffic information page. It was not known at the time if there were any injuries or fatalities.
The Serra Retreat bridge was under water once again and impassable Monday, and a large eucalyptus tree nearby fell over, undermined by the water runoff from an adjacent road.
Malibu Lifeguard Captain Nick Steers said Malibu received 1.81 inches of rain on Monday and a total of 6.02 inches reported Tuesday since the beginning of the current series of storms that began last Thursday.
The National Weather Service also reported flood advisories and tornado warnings for Los Angeles County that were in effect until 6 p.m. Tuesday. The NWS’ weather forecast for Malibu predicts rain until Thursday morning. But Malibu residents will not be able to breathe their collective sighs of relief then, because the NWS predicts a chance of showers again in the city as early as Monday morning.
Public Works Director Yugal Lall said there was no reported damage to Malibu residences or businesses. The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Service and the U.S. Small Business Administration announced that a Disaster Recovery Center in Los Angeles County would be open one week only, beginning Tuesday this week.
The DRC is located at 4232 Las Virgenes Road. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday as well as 9 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Caltrans officials said that it would update PCH information when available. For updates, residents and motorists may call Caltrans District 7 at 213.897.3656, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. or visit its Web site at www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo/. Information can also be obtained by logging on to the city’s web site at www.ci.malibu.ca.us/news and road information can be obtained by calling 800.675.4357.