More than 840 households near Corona, California, were ordered to evacuate Friday after water began seeping through Prado Dam following record-breaking rainfall across the region. Army engineers described the situation as seepage rather than a structural failure, and authorities said the public faced no immediate danger. About 100 campers at a nearby site were also cleared out, while heavy traffic snarled roads as residents hurried away with their belongings.
The storms have already devastated the area. On Monday a huge mudslide swallowed much of La Conchita, a small coastal town to the northeast, wrecking a minimum of 13 houses while 18 others sustained damage. Nineteen people are feared dead; 10 bodies have been recovered, but rescue efforts for nine others still missing were suspended Thursday after officials said survival chances were negligible.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.