SoCal reacts to historic Tropical Storm Hilary
LOS ANGELES - As Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall in California Sunday, many spent the hours before the bulk of the storm, disregarding warnings from Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and venturing out to explore the impacts of the storm.
Whether it was the splash of street flooding, the sound of the rain or the roar of the LA River, Hilary, once a powerful hurricane, now a tropical storm knocked on the door early Sunday. But that didn't stop Christian Granados and Lizette Avala in Atwater Village went out to check out the LA River from a bridge above. It sounded like a river perfect for white water rafting.
"You don't usually see the river like this, so it's something we wanted to check out," Granados said.
Even before the worst of the wind lashed the area, there were several power failures. In Glendale for instance, power was out for hours due to a downed tree.
"There's [been] no power since 8 o'clock this morning," one man, sitting on his porch, told FOX 11.
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Ty Warner, who lives in the neighborhood said he's dealing with the storm by "just sitting and cleaning the house. I'm good."
Not far away, a local Trader Joe's was pitch black, turning customers away.
In Sunland, roads flooded like in so many other areas. And, in North Hollywood, buses were bringing the homeless to a recreation center, one of several to help those without a shelter.
Animal Control even brought crates for any of the homeless who might bring their pets. One man named Mike, who lives on the street, said he had a plan.
"Initially my plan was to set up my small tent and put it on a picnic table like a sunshade to avoid any flooding that might come up," he said, but changed his mind and said he's grateful there was a shelter provided.