Facing the storm

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT-MESA -- The heavy rainfall that drenched the Southland early

Friday had equal effects on people on land, in the air and on the sea.

As of 11 a.m. Friday, most areas in Orange County had seen about an

inch of rain or more, with Corona del Mar recording .79 inches, said

meteorologist Ed Clark of the National Weather Service in San Diego.

There is yet another chance of rain Sunday, Clark said, but it is

expected to be a smaller storm.

As a result, many locals will have to change their water-related plans

this weekend. The Environmental Health Division of the Orange County

Health Care Agency has issued a beach advisory, warning people to stay

out of the ocean and bay for at least three days.

“There’s all kinds of ick in the water,” said Monica Mazur, a county

environmental health specialist. “The urban runoff carries a lot of

bacteria with the water, fecal material from different animals -- dogs,

cats, mice, bunnies -- all those things get in the water.”

While the 72-hour advisory was issued Friday morning, Mazur noted the

additional rainfall expected Sunday.

“That starts the clock ticking again,” she said.

Rains also may have been the cause of a water tragedy Friday, Newport

Beach fire officials said.

A 1934 Kershoff sailboat, considered a classic, caught fire in the bay

around 7:30 a.m. at Dock B between Via Lido and Via Oporto. The flames

may have been sparked by rain water and an electrical short, said Lt.

John Blauer of the Newport Beach Fire and Marine Department. Damage to

the historic vessel, its New Zealand teak interior charred by the fire,

has not yet been assessed, Blauer said.

Back on land, road conditions were nearly as grim in the early morning

hours, said California Highway Patrol Officer Katrina Lundgren. Flooding

closed much of Coast Highway, causing detours and traffic jams.

“There were a lot of fender-benders on freeways, the majority of them

between 4 and 6 a.m.,” Lundgren said. “There were 44 accidents reported

just in those two hours.”

On Dover Drive in Newport Beach, where the street was damaged

Wednesday when a water main ruptured, Friday’s rain did not delay the

removal of pavement.

However, city officials are concerned that another rainstorm may

hinder efforts to repave the road over the weekend, said Public Works

Director Don Webb. Webb said Dover is scheduled to be open to commuters

Monday afternoon.

Those flying out of John Wayne Airport were also affected by the

storm.

For several hours Friday morning, the weather forced pilots to use

altered flight patterns, taking off from John Wayne over Tustin and the

San Diego Freeway, instead of the usual takeoffs over the ocean.

“It was because of the winds,” said Ann Gill, an airport spokeswoman.

“It doesn’t really happen all that often, just when we have the Santa Ana

winds.”