Homeless people living in Southern California's storm drains and riverbeds are being warned to find other shelter before the expected arrival of significant rains spawned by the warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean known as El Nino.
The Los Angeles Times reports that officials are trying to persuade river dwellers to move to safety. If those efforts fail, authorities say, they will try to forcibly remove them if flooding is imminent.
Signs have been posted warning people to keep out of flood channels during the rainy season. In Los Angeles County, a task force is working to protect people in homeless encampments along waterways.
Encampments residents, such as 74-year-old Bill "Tattoo" LeBlanc, say they aren't afraid of flooding and that they plan to stay put.
Copyright Associated Press
