Farewell, Tropical Storm Hilary: High Desert begins cleaning up

With tropical storm Hilary dissipating and heading north, Monday was earmarked for damage assessment and cleanup after the storm flooded roads, property and closed schools in the High Desert.

Moving into the High Desert on Saturday and Sunday, Hilary was the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years. Hilary was downgraded to a tropical storm before making landfall over Baja California on Sunday before becoming a post-tropical cyclone early Monday morning.

Over the weekend, Hilary dropped roughly 2.5 inches of rain in places like Hesperia, Apple Valley, and Victorville, according to the National Weather Service.

The storm also brought life-threatening flooding to Ventura County and evacuation warnings to parts of San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties.

San Bernardino County Fire officials reported that nearly 30 people sought shelter after flash floods potentially destroyed several cabins in the Seven Oaks area, south of Big Bear.

School districts in the High Desert announced no school on Monday out of an abundance of caution as the storm continues to pass through the area. Some of the districts included Apple Valley, Victor Valley Union Snowline, Barstow, Hesperia, Victor Elementary, Adelanto, Oro Grande, and the Lewis Center for Educational Research.

Visit school district websites and social media pages for updates on school schedules.

More rain totals

Lytle Creek received 9.44 inches, Wrightwood 6.23 inches, Big Bear Lake Dam 4.40 inches, Devore Fire Station 4.24 inches, and San Bernardino with 1.69 inches of rain. Also, Mount San Jacinto in Riverside County recorded 11.74 inches.

The storm dropped more than half the average yearly rain in some portions of the desert and mountains, including Palm Springs, which received nearly 3 inches of rain by Sunday night.

Joshua Tree National Park also experienced heavy rains and flooding. Park staff on Monday found large amounts of sand and debris on roadways and began clearing operations. On Tuesday, the Park will be open for day use only. All visitor centers and paved roads will be open. All dirt roads and campgrounds will remain closed until further assessment can be done.

Death Valley National Park received 2.20 inches at the official gauge near Furnace Creek. This breaks the previous all-time wettest day record of 1.70 inches set on Aug. 5, 2022.

In the Los Angeles area, Mount Wilson recorded over 8.5 inches of rain, Beverly Hills 4.8 inches, and downtown Los Angeles nearly 3 inches.

Road conditions

On Monday, city and county work crews began the cleanup and repair of roads and streets across the High Desert.

The city of Hesperia reported that Rock Springs Road from Glendale Avenue to Deep Creek Road was reopened after it was closed on Sunday due to flooding.

The city of Victorville reported several streets closed due to flooding, including two near Doris Davies Park. A real-time map of the closures can be viewed at vv.city/roadclosures.

Caltrans reported on Monday that a crew continued to work on punching a hole through a large debris flow that closed the Sheep Creek Bridge on Highway 2 near Wrightwood.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Monday reported the following road conditions:

Forrest Falls

• A large mud and debris flow occurred on Sunday, August 20, cutting off access into and out of Forrest Falls.

Oak Glen:

• Oak Glen Road is washed out at Birch Creek.

• Potato Canyon has been affected by mud and debris flow.

• Hwy. 38 has been washed out at Onyx Summit.

• 7 Oaks Road has been washed out.

• The evacuation order for the Serrano Square neighborhood, south of Oak Glen Road, was lifted at 11 a.m.

Yucca Valley:

• Highway 247 at Pipes Canyon in Yucca Valley is closed to all traffic.

All evacuation and shelter-in-place orders, except for the Serrano Square neighborhood, remain in effect. There have been no reports of injuries or death as a result of this storm, sheriff’s officials said.

Emergency personnel will continue assessing affected areas today by ground and air, utilizing volunteer personnel, drones, and sheriff’s aviation crews.

Please visit city websites and social media pages for updates on road conditions. For county information related to the storm, please visit https://storminfo.sbcounty.gov/. If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency dial 911 for assistance.

FEMA assistance

The U.S. Postal Service on Monday reported that the Forest Falls, Morongo Valley, North Palm Springs, and Shoshone Post Offices were temporarily closed due to the impacts of Hilary. Services will resume as soon as postal officials determine that it is safe.

On Sunday, President Biden said he requested FEMA to deploy personnel and supplies to California. The president also said the Coast Guard has pre-positioned aircraft to allow for rapid response and rescue efforts.

"My Administration also deployed federal personnel to Nevada to ensure the state has additional support, and we will continue to coordinate with California, Nevada, and Arizona on any resources they might need," President Biden said.

Local emergency declared

On Sunday, San Bernardino County declared a local emergency in response to Tropical Storm Hilary. The board will be asked to ratify the declaration at its next meeting.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom visited the county's Emergency Operations Center on Sunday to meet with local officials, including Supervisor Joe Baca, Jr., Sheriff Shannon Dicus, and Emergency Services Director Daniel Munoz.

Visit Caltrans District 8's Facebook and Twitter accounts or the agency's website for additional updated information.

Motorists can plan commutes and view live traffic conditions and planned lane closures by using Caltrans' QuickMap

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Farewell,Tropical Storm Hilary: High Desert begins cleaning up