Although the rain has stopped and skies were clear on Thursday, the aftermath of recent storms continued to affect Valley residents.
A number of roads remained closed due to flooding, primarily on the east side of the Valley, as rain and storm runoff made them impassable. Closures were reported in areas of northeastern Lancaster, Lake Los Angeles, Littlerock, Sun Village, Pearblossom, eastern Palmdale and Juniper Hills.
Los Angeles County Public Works Department listed on its website about 20 different road closures due to flooding in the Antelope Valley as of Thursday afternoon. For those closures that listed an estimated end date, they were estimated to continue for a week.
Mount Emma Road, between Cheseboro Road and 87th Street East near Littlerock was one closure listed without an estimated end date. The road is experiencing flooding from water spilling over the Littlerock Dam, as the reservoir has been overfilled from this winter’s storm, according to Palmdale Water District officials.
The California Highway Patrol has been patrolling the closed areas and working to ensure drivers understand that the closures are for their safety, and that ignoring the signs will result in a ticket.
If drivers are found within closed areas, “You are going to be ticketed for failing to abide by the signs,” Officer Monique Micheaux of the Antelope Valley CHP Office said.
The ticketing has had a deterrent effect when used in the past, she said.
“No one wants to pay for a ticket,” she said.
It’s obvious when drivers have disobeyed the closures, and some will admit to the ticketing officers that they moved closure signs out of the way in order to proceed.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies are using the same enforcement when drivers are found on closed roads under their jurisdiction, such as within the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale.
Drivers are advised to check for road closures before heading out, especially to the low-lying areas of the Valley’s east side. Los Angeles County Public Works lists its road closures at pw.lacounty.gov. Caltrans road conditions for highways may be found at roads.dot.ca.gov
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