California rain storm leaves tremendous cleanup efforts in its wake

LOS ANGELES - The dramatic storm that battered Southern California this week may be over, but the clean-up has only just begun. Especially in Studio City, where flooding and mudslides forced many residents to evacuate.

"We’re really busy with this weather," said Samuel Montejo, a contractor. "The rain stopped. I’m getting a lot of calls for this, cleaning up the mud and all that stuff."

One of the areas hit the hardest during the storm is off Lockridge Road near Fryman. At least two homes in that area were heavily damaged.

"It was like a river of rocks and mud coming down the street," said Scott Toro.

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Toro is one of 16 people who live along Lockridge Road, and were forced to evacuate Sunday night. On Thursday, he and his neighbors were thankful for the sunshine during their mud cleanup.

"It sounded like a plane crash, a helicopter crash," said Toro. "Our cars and the tree probably saved our house, because it stopped three feet shy from the door."

SkyFOX video Thursday captured the neighborhood covered in mud, pools filled with brown muck, and busted cars left where they were tossed.

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"It’s been slow," said Toro. "We’re glad that we’re going to have several sunny days now to help dry things out."

Contractors and volunteers were in the neighborhood Thursday helping homeowners get back on their feet. One group, Gideon Rescue Co., even flew in from out of state to help.

Many people with damaged property are now contacting insurance companies. However, some aren’t very optimistic they’ll receive financial help.

"Our homeowner’s insurance doesn’t cover flood insurance or debris removal," said Toro. "So, we’re going to have to pay somebody to get it out."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass declared a local state of emergency on Monday, as rain continued to batter the city.

LA City officials reported over 400 mudslides and several water rescues due to the storm.