Hilary leaves Tehachapi roads, businesses flooded
Serious rainfall and flooding has impacted many areas of eastern Kern County on Sunday, as well as some local businesses. The flooded roads are remnants of the storm system that pushed through the area as a result of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Hilary, and closed roads aren't the only issues residents are dealing with. 23ABC's Dominique LaVigne visited Tehachapi to see how the soggy residents are faring.
Transcript
00:00 Thanks to Tropical Storm Hillary, serious rainfall and flooding impacted many areas
00:04 of eastern Kern yesterday, even causing damage to some local businesses.
00:08 23 ABC's Dominique Lavignier spoke to one local business owner about how she weathered
00:14 the storm.
00:15 This flooded road off Sand Canyon and Cameron Canyon roads are the remnants of the storm
00:19 system that moved through Tehachapi on Sunday.
00:22 And flooding and road closures aren't the only things that Tehachapi residents are dealing
00:26 with.
00:27 Some business owners are dealing with cleanup as well.
00:30 Fans working to dry the water damage left behind at Sheridan's Home Consignment and
00:34 Decor after water began to leak from the ceiling Sunday night during Tropical Storm Hillary.
00:40 The roof leaked.
00:41 There's a couple big cypress trees and apparently all the weeds and needles from the trees blew
00:46 onto the roof and plugged the storm drain.
00:49 It's a flat roof and we cleared it right before the storm to prepare but it plugged the drain
00:54 so it backed up and we ended up with two feet of water on the roof.
00:59 And owner Virginia Sheridan says not only did the storm cause damage to some ceiling
01:03 tiles but the heavy rain canceled Tehachapi Mountain Festival, which took a toll on her
01:07 restaurant's business.
01:08 It ended Mountain Festival and it's a disappointment because I've been here over 25 years and I
01:13 love Mountain Festival.
01:14 Everybody pretty much loves Mountain Festival because it's a fun time, it's a party.
01:18 Sheridan says she prepared extra tri-tip and ribs for the festival, even preparing for
01:22 a party at the restaurant on the back patio.
01:25 All canceled due to heavy rainfall and flooding.
01:29 And this unusual storm dumped more than five inches of rain in the mountains, something
01:32 Aaron Maurer with the California Highway Patrol says he's never seen.
01:36 So I have not experienced anything like this before.
01:38 I've only been in the Mojave area for five years but in the last five years I've never
01:44 experienced something with this much rainfall so sudden.
01:48 Maurer says flooding, rock slides and mudslides have contributed to closures across eastern
01:52 Kern but CHP is using additional resources to open those roads as soon as possible.
01:58 Thanks to the sunny weather we're working closely with Caltrans to make sure that the
02:02 roads get opened up as quickly as possible.
02:05 We have additional resources working and Caltrans also has additional resources out just to
02:09 clear the roads and make sure that people are free to travel and get to where they need
02:12 to go as soon as we can get them there.
02:15 Sheridan plans to continue cleanup throughout the day and says her husband will prepare
02:18 the damaged portions of the roof to prevent further damage in the future.
02:23 It is what it is.
02:24 I mean Mother Nature is going to do what she wants to do and there's just not a darn thing
02:27 we can do about it.
02:28 I'm just glad here in town we didn't really have anything horrible happen.
02:32 For more information on what roads are closed you can visit us online at TurnTo23.com.
02:37 In Tehachapi, I'm Dominique Lavignier, 23BC News, connecting you.
02:40 connecting you.