Orange County’s second big rainstorm of the winter again sent canyon residents fleeing their homes after county officials issued mandatory evacuations Thursday.
At 10 a.m. Friday, county officials lifted the mandatory evacuations for Williams Canyon and Modjeska Canyon, along with roads in those areas.
But officials on Friday kept in place evacuations for Silverado Canyon while crews were said to be working to clear debris from roadways in the area. Past Oak Lane was noted as a hard road closure in the county update, while Kittermand Road to Oak Lane was changed to a soft closure.
The first major winter storm of the season about a week prior also triggered mandatory evacuations and resulted in firefighters needing to rescue residents trapped in their homes.
County of Orange officials on Twitter first issued a voluntary evacuation at 3 p.m. Wednesday, with the sheriff’s department retweeting, for residents in previous Bond Fire burn areas: the canyons of Modjeska, Williams and Silverado.
At 4 p.m. Thursday, county officials on Twitter sent out a mandatory evacuation starting at 8 p.m. The county in the same tweet included a link to the full evacuation order online.
The county order indicated that the evacuation was prompted following a National Weather Service flash flood warning in the burn scar areas from 7 p.m. Thursday through noon Friday.
The order said hard road closures were planned starting at the same time as the mandatory evacuation order begins at 8 p.m. Thursday, with access in and out of the canyon said to be limited to public safety and public works crews.
The county order said a shelter would be set up at the Lake Forest Sports Park, 28000 Rancho Parkway in Lake Forest. Residents with COVID-19 symptoms were advised, in the order, to call 714-628-7085 for screening before arriving at the shelter.
The order also said that the American Red Cross planned to offer overnight shelter at the Lake Forest location. At the same time, the order “encouraged” residents to leave early and “shelter with friends, family or at a local hotel.”
No pets were said to be allowed at the shelter, according to the order, but it indicated that OC Animal Care was offering care and large animals would be allowed at the OC Fair and Events Center.
For information, call OC Animal Care at 714-935-6848 from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or 714-259-1122 during after-hours.
The order said people with disabilities or needing help evacuating could call the sheriff’s dispatch line at 714-647-7000.