Rains over Long Beach dumped more than an inch of water throughout the day Tuesday and overnight, at times overwhelming drainage systems across the city.
One storm cell that passed over shortly before 8 p.m. brought storm drains to capacity, pushing water back into the streets through manhole covers and flooding streets.
“That’s not unusual when that much water drops in such a short period of time,” said Long Beach Fire Department Marine Safety Chief Gonzalo Medina.
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Almost a third of an inch of rain fell in the span of an hour around that time, according to measurements from the National Weather Service. More rain is expected Wednesday and Thursday.
Crews worked through the night Tuesday to clear clogged storm drains and monitor pump stations, Medina said.
Medina and his team were hoping the drains would empty enough before 1 a.m. when another, similar storm cell was expected to pass over Long Beach.
“It’s just, again, a lot of water,” Medina said.
Crews also responded to calls about flooding, particularly in the Peninsula and Belmont Shore areas. At 68th and 69th place on the Peninsula crews were monitoring a pump station to make sure it stayed online, Medina said.
In Belmont Shore, Nick’s on 2nd closed early due to flooding and the street outside Olympix Fitness were flooded completely.
The storm also created dangerous conditions along flood channels. Around 10 a.m. Tuesday, rescue crews took a man to the hospital as a precaution after a passerby pulled him out of the water in the Los Angeles River near Willow Street, according to fire officials.
“A jogger saw somebody in the water with their bike,” LBFD Capt. Scott Dixon said. “The jogger went down and pulled them out of the water and called 911.”
Dixon estimated the water was about 3 to 4 feet deep in the area around that time. Swift-water rescue teams planned to stay prepped and ready for the duration of the rain.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with more information Wednesday morning.