Elsinore homes in danger of being swept away as rain & flooding continues

February 14, 2019 Trevor Montgomery

UPDATED: Thursday, Feb 14, 2:45 p.m., With additional road closure information.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY — With heavy rain continuing to fall throughout Riverside County and surrounding areas, flash flood warnings have been issued for the Holy Fire burn areas of Riverside and Orange counties.

Although the flash flood warnings were expected to continue through this morning, the National Weather Service has updated that the warnings will continue in both counties through 2 p.m.

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In Lake Elsinore’s Holy Fire burn area, where heavy rains have been wreaking havoc for area residents, at least two homes have been reported in immediate danger of being swept away in fast-moving debris flow as heavy rains continue to pound the region.

According to area resident Kevin Sorenson, several outbuildings along a swollen creek have already been swept away and he has never seen anything like what is currently happening.

“I’ve lived here 20 years and it’s never been this bad,” Sorenson told KTLA5 News. “I hope the city’s gonna do something.”

Officials have been urging area residents and others to steer clear of the recent burn areas, as the continuing heavy rain fall will likely continue to cause rock and mud slides, debris flows, and road closures.

As of this morning, the following Riverside County area remain under mandatory evacuation orders:

Amorose
Alberhill
Glen Eden
Glen Ivy A
Glen Ivy B
Grace
Horsethief A
Horsethief B
Laguna A
Maitri
McVicker A
Rice
Withrow A

Additionally, voluntary evacuation orders are in place for Alvarado A and B, Laguna B, McVicker B and Lakeside A, according to Riverside County’s website.

Due to heavy flooding in the Lake Elsinore area, an evacuation and care center has been established at Temescal Canyon High School, at 28755 El Toro Road in Lake Elsinore.

Numerous area roads and highways throughout Riverside County remain closed to traffic Thursday morning due to mud, rocks, water and debris on the roadways.

At just after 2 p.m., CHP issued a new SigAlert, updating on their log that the Ortega Highway had been closed, between Riverside and Orange Counties. Officials estimated the closure, between Grand Ave. in Riverside County and Nichols in Orange County, would last at least four hours.

The NWS has said chances of thunderstorms remain in the immediate forecast this afternoon and are likely to continue into this evening. Forecasts also have called for continuing storms tomorrow, with a chance of showers over the weekend.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.

With heavy rain continuing to fall throughout Riverside County and surrounding areas, flash flood warnings have been issued for the Holy Fire burn areas of Riverside and Orange counties.

Although the flash flood warning were expected to continue through the morning, the National Weather Service has updated that the warnings will continue in both counties through 2 p.m.

In Lake Elsinore’s Holy Fire burn area, where heavy rains have been wreaking havoc for area residents, at least one home has been reported in immediate danger of being swept away into a fast-moving debris flow as heavy rains continue to pound the region.

According to area resident Kevin Sorenson, several outbuildings along a swollen creek have already been swept away and he has never seen anything like what is currently happening

“I’ve lived here 20 years and it’s never been this bad,” Sorenson told KTLA5 News. “I hope the city’s gonna do something.”

As of this morning, the following Riverside County area remain under mandatory evacuation orders:

• Amorose
• Alberhill
• Glen Eden
• Glen Ivy A
• Glen Ivy B
• Grace
• Horsethief A
• Horsethief B
• Laguna A
• Maitri
• McVicker A
• Rice
• Withrow A

Additionally, voluntary evacuation orders are in place for Alvarado A and B, Laguna B, McVicker B and Lakeside A, according to Riverside County’s website.

Due to heavy flooding in the Lake Elsinore, an evacuation and care center has been established at Temescal Canyon High School, at 28755 El Toro Road in Lake Elsinore.

Numerous area roads and highways throughout Riverside County remain closed to traffic Thursday morning due to mud, rocks, water and debris on the roadway.

Contact the writer: [email protected]