Floods in California trap thousands

Andrew Watson and Taylor Becker dig out their car after rocks and mud inundated their Forest Falls home. Photo / AP

Hundreds of children attending a church camp in San Bernardino are among thousands of people trapped after parts of southern California were inundated with a third of their annual rainfall in a few hours.

One person was killed after freak thunderstorms led to flash flooding and mudslides. With the rain continuing in an area more accustomed to drought than downpours, officials fear more damage is to come.

The body of a driver who was swept into a rain-swollen creek in Mt Baldy, San Bernardino County, was discovered, and several other people rescued from fast-flowing water had to be treated for hypothermia.

Five hundred schoolchildren attending a church camp in the town of Forest Falls, a popular area for campers and other tourists, were among those trapped.

As the rescue operation continued, 3000 people were ordered to stay in their homes across mountainous areas of San Bernardino County, which is the largest county in the United States.

Around 9cm of rain fell on Forest Falls and 13cm on nearby Mt Baldy yesterday, almost a third of the area's annual average, leading to mudslides which left roads impassable.

Authorities are struggling to cope with the disaster.

Firefighters in the region were already over-stretched because of extensive forest fires.

Kyle Hauducoeur, a fire department spokesman, said of the trapped schoolchildren: "Our concern is that they're isolated at that campground and no longer have access out of the mountain."

He added: "Our priority is using heavy equipment ... to open access to that camp."

Several hikers walking on Bear Creek Mountain had to be rescued after becoming lost in the bad weather, while a group of four walkers and their dog were airlifted to safety from Angeles National Forest.