Ruptured 30-inch Los Angeles water main opens 15-foot sinkhole in Sunset Boulevard and strands motorists across submerged UCLA campus
- The main ruptured near University of California, Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon shooting a geyser that flooded a huge swath of campus
- Images showed students wading through knee-deep water as the geyser continued unabated
- Authorities said it could take hours to shut off as at least three motorists had to be rescued by the LA fire department
- Normal water flow through the pipe is 75,000 gallons per minute
- Firefighters, some using inflatable boats, have saved at least five people who were stranded in the underground parking structures.
By Joshua Gardner and Wires
Published: 21:46 EST, 29 July 2014 | Updated: 21:49 EST, 29 July 2014
A major Los Angeles street ground to a halt Tuesday when a broken water main ruptured and shot out a massive geyser that flooded a large part of UCLA campus, stranding motorists and ripping a 15-foot crater in the asphalt.
The 30-inch pipe broke beneath Sunset Boulevard causing water to inundate the north end of the campus, submerging athletic fields and pouring into an underground parking structure.
Crews helped rescue motorists whose cars were caught in water up to their wheel wells and no injuries were reported, though hundreds on campus for the summer continued to trudge through water up to knee-deep in some spots.
Geyser: The massive rupture sent a huge stream of water up above Sunset Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon near UCLA campus
Massive breach: A man poses for a photo on stairs to a parking structure outside UCLA's Pauley Pavilion sporting arena as water flows down from a broken thirty inch water main that was gushing water onto Sunset Boulevard in Westwood
Big problem: Millions of gallons of water flowed across the school's athletic facilities, including the famed floor of Pauley Pavilion, the neighboring Wooden Center and the Los Angeles Tennis Center, and a pair of parking structures that took the brunt of the damage
Officials said it could take hours to shut off the major water main.
Los Angles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said that fire department swift water rescue teams were on scene as a precaution.
Firefighters have been searching cars in the structures to make sure they haven't lost anybody who was inside, Humphrey said.
Millions of gallons of water flowed across the school's athletic facilities, including the famed floor of Pauley Pavilion, the neighboring Wooden Center and the Los Angeles Tennis Center, and a pair of parking structures that took the brunt of the damage.
The arena - where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Reggie Miller and Kevin Love starred and John Wooden coached for 10 years - recently underwent a $132 million renovation that was completed in October 2012.
Firefighters, some using inflatable boats, have saved at least five people who were stranded in the underground parking structures.
Rescue efforts: Firefighters shout directions as they wade through water near Pauley Pavillion. Firefighters, some using inflatable boats, have saved at least five people who were stranded in the underground parking structures
Scrambling: A firefighter walks past a dammed up stairway inside UCLA's Pauley Pavilion sporting arena
Doing their best: Firefighters talk after damming up a stairway in an attempt to stem the relentless, 75,000 gallon per minute flow of water
Old, unfaithful: The geyser from the 100-year-old water main flooded parts of the UCLA campus and stranded motorists on surrounding streets
Two hours into the deluge, Los Angeles Water and Power spokeswoman Michele Vargas told the AP the water main would take another two hours to shut off.
Vargas says the pipe has to be turned off slowly to avoid more damage. Normal water flow through the pipes is 75,000 gallons per minute, reports NBC Los Angeles.
City officials say the pipe that was laid down in 1921 carries water from a reservoir in the San Fernando Valley.
The cause of the break hasn't been determined.
Local television images showed students wading through knee-deep water as the geyser continued to pour water onto nearby Sunset Boulevard.
Firefighters placed sandbags outside of classrooms and aided drivers stuck in water and mud.
'The Number 1 thing is to keep hundreds of students from wandering into the water where they could get swept off their feet,' Humphrey said.
Standing water: Students stand among flood waters on UCLA's campus as water flows from a broken thirty inch water main gushing water onto Sunset Boulevard
Making the best of it: Some students made the best of the floods by skimboarding on it, left, while students like Dominic Aguilera, at right on the handrail, found fun in other ways
Surf's up: Many students had the idea of riding the waves of water that flowed into campus
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said in a statement that several crews are on the scene shutting down valves and being careful not to cause more breaks
Sunset, a major thoroughfare through the city's west side, was shut down in both directions, jamming traffic during the afternoon rush-hour commute
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said in a statement that several crews are on the scene shutting down valves and being careful not to cause more breaks.
Sunset, a major thoroughfare through the city's west side, was shut down in both directions, jamming traffic during the afternoon rush-hour commute.
The city's Department of Water said workers were working to shut down multiple valves that would stop the water from flowing from the 30-inch main without breaking any nearby pipes.
The water main break poured thousands of gallons of water onto the UCLA campus and nearby streets as California suffers through a record drought that has prompted state and local authorities to impose water-use restrictions on residents.
Staff quickly got to work and weren't afraid to get their hands dirty as water spewed into the athletic center
Workers try to clear water from the floor of Pauley Pavillion on the UCLA campus. The athletic facility recently underwent a multi-million dollar makeover
Blockade: Firefighters work to dam up a stairway inside UCLA's Pauley Pavilion sporting arena
In deep: A person walks through the flooded Drake Field on the UCLA campus
Hours of efforts: Emergency crews line Sunset Boulevard at the Westwood Plaza intersection
Workers approach Pauley Pavilion, home of UCLA basketball at the start of what will have to be arduous weeks or months of cleanup
--
__._,_.___
No comments:
Post a Comment