Flooding Shuts Down Sepulveda Basin

Roadblocks lined the perimeter of the Sepulveda Basin, the lowest part of the San Fernando Valley, as a storm ripped through SoCal

Heavy rains have flooded the Sepulveda Basin, a major San Fernando Valley route near the convergence of two of the most congested freeways in Southern California.

Officials shut down the route (map) Friday around 6 a.m., and are expecting stretches of the area to remain off-limits until Monday, as a second storm pummels the region.

LAPD Officer Bruce Borihanh said the area reached "critical levels."

Officials issued a road closure advisory, which affected the following routes:

  • Eastbound Burbank Boulevard to Balboa Boulevard
  • Hayvenhurst Avenue to Burbank Boulevard
  • Westbound Burbank Boulevard from San Diego (405) Freeway
  • Southbound Woodley Avenue to Victory Boulevard

Authorities said they had no estimate for when the roads would reopen. Weather forecasters predict rainfall and thunder continuing through the weekend.

“They’ll open the roads whenever it’s safe,” Borihanh said. “Public safety is our number one concern.”

Authorities are asking drivers to steer clear of the affected streets.

LAPD has dispatched patrol units to monitor the closed roads, and barricades have been set up to enforce the closures, Borihanh said.

As of Friday afternoon there had been no reports of crashes or other obstructions in the basin area.

The first of back-to-back West Coast storms hit Thursday, giving a majority of communities in drought-stricken California just over one inch of rain.

Friday's heavier second wave has brought significant downpours to SoCal areas such as downtown Los Angeles, Glendora, Azusa, Van Nuys and Monrovia, among others.

Many residents were left without power, and some were forced to evacuate Friday.

A man and his dogs also had to be rescued earlier in the morning after facing some trouble with the Los Angeles River, which has picked up quick-moving currents thanks to the weather conditions.

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