Posted on 07/29/2014 5:22:51 PM PDT by doug from upland
LIVE VIDEO AT THE LINK
A 102-year-old water main broke in Westwood Tuesday, sending water flooding into streets and the UCLA campus, stranding people and vehicles and prompting the closure of Sunset Boulevard on Tuesday.
The water main break sent a geyser gushing into the air on July 29, 2014. (Credit: KTLA) The water main break sent a geyser gushing into the air on July 29, 2014. (Credit: KTLA) People were stranded by the rising water, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, which was called to the incident shortly before 3:30 p.m.
Three people were rescued from parking structures, the department’s Brian Humphrey told KTLA. Two of the structures were flooded with rising waters, but no academic facilities were impacted, officials said.
A geyser of water was shooting several dozen feet into the air from a hole in a roadway near the Spieker Aquatic Center, video from Sky5 showed. A main had broken in the center of Sunset Boulevard, LAFD Capt. Jaime Moore said.
Utility crews were shutting down multiple valves to avoid rupturing lines, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power stated on Twitter about 5:10 p.m.
While authorities were urging people to avoid the area and stay out of the water, the Fire Department was responding with four swift-water boats that could be deployed.
Students were walking through the waters, despite warnings that it should be avoided. (Credit: Vu Pham) Students were walking through the waters, despite warnings that it should be avoided. (Credit: Vu Pham) “We’re treating this the same as we would a flash flood,” Moore said from the scene. “Everybody is safe as long as they stay away from this water.”
Sunset Boulevard was closed from Marymount Place to Westwood Plaza, according to LAFD.
On Twitter, DWP said the broken pipe was 36 inches in diameter; L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said it had been installed in 1912.
The address given for the flooding was 10630 W. Sunset Blvd., next to the UCLA campus (map). Water was flowing over much of the campus, aerial video showed.
Moore urged people to stay away from the water because of slippery conditions, fast-running water, and debris.
Nonetheless, aerial video showed dozens of people walking through giant brown pools of water across the campus.
People could be seen wading through water from a massive main break on the UCLA campus July 29, 2014. (Credit: KTLA) People could be seen wading through water from a massive main break on the UCLA campus July 29, 2014. (Credit: KTLA) “People are standing in the water almost out of a sense of amusement,” Humphrey told KTLA. “It doesn’t take much more than an ankle depth of water to sweep somebody into harm’s way, so we’re hoping to get UCLA campus officials to move people here away … from this very dramatic cascade of water.”
Traffic was jammed in the area, the Los Angeles Police Department stated in an advisory.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA. John and Ken on KFI are reporting that Channel 7 got PWNED by a fake spokesman for DWP. The guy claimed his name was Lou Flung Poo.
___________________________________________________________
The reporter was Yung thin Ho.
Estimate of 2 more hours to stop it. They say they have to shut down gradually or it could rupture other pipes.
Too funny! This is killing me, only on so Cal TV.
Tim Conway Jr. hates Channel 7 for not covering the KFI float at recent July 4 parade. He is going to mock them without mercy at 7pm Pacific.
There are now 14 news helicopters, and 3 LAPD choppers circling the wawa...
The one of the LAPD pilots are demanding everyone circle in the same direction to avoid a chopper head on.
The corrupt Water and Power Department who are all corrupt millionaires are demanding 200% water rate increase starting tomorrow. When DWP was questioned about why the 103 year old pipe had not been replaced, they responded, “It was perfectly fine yesterday”.
And the head of the union has defied court orders to release info about the secret multi-million slush fund it uses in secret.
http://www.kfiam640.com/articles/local-news-465708/dwp-union-blocks-audit-of-secret-11915388/
The LADWP is one of the most corrupt government departments on the west coast. And they’re all unionized!!
wow...
A city council mobster just said, “Well, everyone will just have to conserve more”. This is code for raise the peons taxes and give us raises...
There are now probably 400 government employees standing around staring at the wawa...
3 motorist with water up to their hubcaps, had to be rescued by LAFD swift water teams...
Also amusing to listen to the reporters get all "concerned" about the students walking through the water and riding wake/skim boards down the flooded steps. Also saw someone pulling her friend through the water on a boogie board. Too funny college students.
I wonder if there will be fines. I heard $500.00 fine for wasting water.
Cameras just pulled away from half a dozen DWP workers arguing about which direction to turn the valve.
That reason I went to KTLA coverage doug they dont’ play those games
or KCBS
This is the first time I have watched even a minute of TV in probably two weeks.
Are you kidding? Lou Flung Poo calling in acting like the LADWP department head is comedy solid gold....The talking heads and bubbled headed on-scene reporters on TaVa get PWNED all the time. They deserve it. Top shelf comedy.
Now they got all these people on preaching and lecturing about saving water and the planet...As the cameras are panning all the wawa, you could see sprinklers in the background watering those cool looking lawns...
This was the stuff Johnny Carson lived for.
http://deadspin.com/louis-slungpue-pranks-news-on-ucla-flood-cause-a-re-1613060017/all
Here it is ...care of Deadspin
Actually, from what I've heard, conserving water is what causes the pipes to break because it changes the pressure in them.
Then there are also numerous allegations of massive corruption at the DWP. This would be something "reporters" could look into, except that they won't .
Reporters here are mostly TMZ- They run celebrity nonsense as the lead story of their "news" programs, then they throw in some light-weight human interest stories. Sometimes they cover crime-But not much corruption is covered .
LA “officials” will first need to create impact studies and commissions filled with wealthy city government insiders...But before the new commissions and members are elected, they’ll likely argue for weeks about the design for their new tear drop water lapels, in an effort to show they care and cry for the planet.
“I saw it live Doug that was funny LMAO”
Me too and I knew right away. Then they got punked again a little later with a someone calling in that their car was on the bottom level of the underground parking lot and his car was a total loss. Then he went on to say that his biggest complaint was the loss of 7 grams, he was cut off at that point. I think he was going to say 7 grams of X in his car was his biggest loss.
They’re replaying Lou Flung Poo calling in acting like the LADWP department head telling the reporters live, that some college kids set off cherry bombs in a toilet or else someone took a really large dump....
The reporters says, “Are you 100 percent sure about that?”
OMG...!!!!
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