Authorities ordered the evacuation of 750 homes in the foothills around Los Angeles Wednesday, fearing that the third in a string of powerful storms would trigger flash flooding and mudslides. The threatened homes lie in suburbs north of Los Angeles, nestled against steep hillsides and canyons left barren by a massive wildfire last summer and saturated by heavy rain from two previous storms this week. Sheriff's deputies said most residents were heeding orders to leave the area as work crews piled up sandbags on vulnerable streets and used bulldozers to clear mud and boulders that have filled debris basins designed to catch runoff from canyons. But some homeowners said they had signed waiver forms allowing them to remain, at least for the time being. Meanwhile, utility company Southern California Edison said it was working to restore power to more than 7,000 customers who saw their electrical service knocked out by Tuesday's storm. Wednesday's storm was expected to be the worst so far, with 80 mph (129 kph) winds and up to 5 inches (13 cm) of rainfall.
