A storm that unleashed biblical proportions of rain on California over the past three days started to ease Tuesday, but officials warned residents not to let their guard down yet.
Most of the southern half of the state remained under flood watches Tuesday, and alerts were issued about fast-moving waterways.
A person died Tuesday trying to cross the US-Mexico border into California across the Tijuana River channel, US Customs and Border Protection said. The incident brought the death toll to four after falling trees killed three people in northern California as the region was slammed by hurricane-force winds.
In Los Angeles County, 16 people and five cats were rescued, the Associated Press reported.
The rain is likely to ease into Wednesday. Scattered thunderstorms are still possible in parts of California, the lower Colorado River Valley and Arizona.
The storm, caused by a massive atmospheric river, led to one of the wettest two-day periods in southern California record.In LA’s Westwood neighbourhood, nearly 12 inches of rain fell in 24 hours, according to US Stormwatch. Nearly 400 mudslides have cascaded through Los Angeles, leaving an unknown number of homes damaged.
As of Tuesday evening, more than 125,000 people remain without power.
