Growing up in Canada, I’m used to the elements. I’ll admit to becoming fair-weathered temperature-wise since moving to Southern California, but rain and snow still don’t phase me. Living in San Francisco, I couldn’t believe how the state shut down with a bit of rain. People forget how to drive (those who knew how to begin with) – and everything slows right down. If something takes you 15 minutes when it’s dry, it’ll take an hour with California rain. I’m lucky to have my trusty SUV with all-wheel drive, so gratefully I feel just as safe in wet conditions as dry. But it wasn’t until yesterday that I took the rain here seriously… things shut down because as a usually DRY place, California is ill-equipped to handle abnormal amounts of rain – which is anything more than a light drizzle. The mudslides (winter’s answer to summer’s fires) are as dangerous as avalanches, not to mention the floods, and most recently a tornado hitting Long / Huntington Beach and Orange County so strong it flipped cars and threw boats in the arena 30-50 feet in the air. Not just another day in paradise.
There were small breaks of sunshine Monday and yesterday afternoons – my friend and I actually saw a rainbow in the Hollywood Hills as we walked threw knee-deep puddles. But a flood warning remains in effect for Southern California, freeways have been shut down, and after an appearance of hail late this morning, this afternoon we’re gearing up for more heavy rain (up to 1.5 inches per hour) and high winds (50 -60 miles per hour). It’s advised not to leave your home if you don’t have to – OK, home office!
We might be prepared for earthquakes (some of us more than others - I promise to FINALLY buy my “earthquake kit” this weekend) – but this amount of fog, wind and rain can in fact be DISASTROUS and isn’t to be taken lightly. It’s a good thing I have three pairs of Wellies.
Stay dry!
k
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