Chaos erupted in Hacienda Heights this week after a water main break unleashed a deluge, initiating a dramatic mudslide, not unlike something from a disaster flick, that decimated neighborhood streets and forced harried local residents from their homes. According to KTLA, the calamity began around 6:25 p.m. when the fire department was drowned in calls about the flooding caused by an eight-inch water main snap at East Edgeridge and East Tamarix Drives.
Videos captured at the scene by ABC7 showcased cars embedded in mud. As heavy machinery moved in, striving to mend the mayhem, a beleaguered sheriff's vehicle stopped dead in the torrents as mud and debris cascaded down the streets, with at least two, no, four households being thrust into evacuation, beset by nature's furor and man-made neglect. One resident, Maricruz Monreal, recounted the anguish of their pleas falling on the bureaucrat's deaf ears. "We called it in. We called it in again as the water got stronger and stronger," she shared in an interview with ABC7, "It's just unfortunate because I honestly think this would've been avoided had they turned off the water days before.... Now we're here."
As the night bore on, it was determined by officials that the damage wasn't caused by a sinkhole as originally thought but rather a mudslide, which corrected semantics but did little to pacify distressed homeowners who now stare down in the aftermath. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works heeded the call and managed to put a stop to the galloping gush of water past 8 p.m., leaving seven homes parched and without service, notes KTLA.
The Red Cross, an ever-constant in the din of misfortune, stepped in, offering a crutch to those uprooted, while bulldozers valiantly cleared littered streets and public servants sought to reach beset properties. As recounted by NBC Los Angeles, residents like Monreal brood over the what-ifs: "We had water leaks that started well over a week ago that were reported by several neighbors, They said it was fine, that they’d deal with it, but we knew eventually it was all gonna wash down. It’s a disaster, their cars are blocked in with rocks."
