Southern California mudslides damage homes, carry away cars

By MARCIO SANCHEZ and CHRISTOPHER WEBER
Associated Press

OAK GLEN, Calif. (AP) — Rescuers searched for a person missing in a mudslide as tractors plowed through thick sludge and pushed boulders off roads after flash floods swept dirt, rocks and trees down fire-scarred slopes, washed away cars and buried buildings in Southern California. Cleanup efforts and damage assessments were underway Tuesday in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. Firefighters searched in Forest Falls to make sure no residents were trapped. The downpours were remnants of a tropical storm that brought badly needed rainfall to drought-stricken Southern California last week, helping firefighters corral a wildfire that had been burning out of control. A fire in Northern California erupted and new evacuations were ordered.