Fallen tree branches and palm fronds, shingles torn off roofs and debris strewn across streets are common sights after a storm in Southern California.
An upside down piano? Not so much.
Although many California residents were recovering from the biblical rains that fell on Sunday and Monday, the effects in Los Angeles County may have been most acute in slide-prone canyons. One example was the grand piano lying face up on Caribou Lane off Beverly Glen Boulevard.
The former piano house was knocked off its foundation around 2 a.m. Monday, according to neighbor Travis Longcore.
“It was a big bang and then a boom,” he said while standing a few doors away from the debris slide.
Longcore lives about two doors down from the house that slid down the hill and into the narrow street. Insulation, wiring, mud, rocks and downed power lines made up the mix of debris, along with what was left of a brown grand piano.
The house that slid down the street was unoccupied, neighbors said.
It was a long night and morning in the canyons of western Los Angeles County, where record rains caused mudslides, property damage and flooding.
Woodland Hills, Bel-Air and Topanga Canyon were among the areas that recorded more than 8 inches of rain. The atmospheric storm driven by rivers already broke several daily rainfall records on Sunday. Downtown Los Angeles received 4.1 inches of rain, breaking the record of 2.55 inches set on February 4, 1927.
Winding residential streets just southwest of the Encino Reservoir were nearly deserted Monday morning after a half-day of record rain.
Tree branches and mud blocked part of Boris Drive, leaving a narrow path for the few passing cars.
The water ran down the sides of the streets, raising small stones and sticks in its wake. Mud had come down from a hill near Boris Drive overnight, leaving a gaping hole in the landscape.
Nathan Khalili, 23, rents the property at the top of the hill. He said he expects his property manager to assess the damage later today.
“I don't normally worry about storms, but I didn't think… a landslide would happen,” he said. “I woke up, looked out, and half the mud had slid down the hill.”
Khalili said he didn't take many steps to prepare for the storm.
“It's out of our control,” he said.
Power was lost between midnight and 9 a.m. Monday. Unable to charge the battery, her phone died overnight and her usual morning alarm did not go off. “I'm supposed to be at work right now, but I accidentally fell asleep,” she said.
Khalili's neighbor, Rob Resnick, 34, was also suffering from storm damage.
“Normally when it rains, we have two or three leaks,” he said. “Right now, we have at least 10.”
Resnick said he put a tarp on his roof Sunday morning and loaded it with rocks in an attempt to keep the water out.
He also made sure his flashlights had fresh batteries, which proved necessary when he lost power early Monday morning. “We've been through worse,” Resnick said.
On Monday morning, Shanice Aaron, 29, drove through the intersection of Beverly Glen Boulevard and Mulholland Drive and saw a landslide.
Large tree branches had also fallen onto the Beverly Glen street, turning it into a one-lane road in some sections.
“I know a lot of people lost power,” said Aaron, who has lived in Beverly Glen for more than 15 years.
Aaron spent the worst of the storm Sunday night stuck in his house watching the Grammy Awards. The power didn't go out, but he knows that some of his neighbors weren't so lucky.
She left the house Monday morning and decided to sit outside a nearby Starbucks with her two dogs to watch the rain.
“I'm originally from Japan and it rains a lot in Asia, so I'm used to it. But I know people in Los Angeles aren’t,” he said. “But honestly, you have to drive carefully.”
