Emergency crews work to recover two bodies submerged after weekend California storms

Authorities launched separate recovery efforts Monday in Northern and Southern California for the bodies of two people who were swept away by fast-moving water during the weekend’s intense rains.

In Castro Valley, authorities were searching for the body of a woman whose vehicle skidded off a highway north of Hayward on Saturday and plunged into a swollen creek. In Harbor City, firefighters, police and coroner’s investigators were recovering the remains of a person, possibly an adult man, who was swept away Sunday by a strong currents near Machado Lake.

The powerful rainstorm was one of three storms that pummeled California recently and brought hours of heavy rain on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters said the deluge was the strongest in at least seven years and caused widespread flooding and damage.

The weekend’s rain and unpredictable currents hindered recovery efforts along Alameda Creek, where the missing woman and her vehicle disappeared, according to Sgt. Ray Kelly, a spokesman for the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office. Conditions in the creek were extreme and a nearby canyon was closed due to a debris flow, he said.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the woman crashed into another vehicle about 10:45 a.m. Saturday while driving on California State Route 84 near Niles Canyon Road. After crashing, her vehicle became submerged in the raging and “abnormally high” creek.

The CHP did not publicly identify the woman, but said she was an 18-year-old from Tracy.

Sheriff’s deputies worked with the state’s water resource agency to reduce the volume of water in the creek, according to Kelly.

In Los Angeles, rescuers worked around the clock plucking people from swift-moving water. Firefighters performed a dozen rescues on Sunday as sustained rain saturated the ground and filled riverbanks, said Brian Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The department’s swift water rescue team assisted five people who were trapped in thick brush and brisk water conditions on Sunday near Machado Lake and Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, he said.

A family at the lake told officers that a man, who was with them, was swept away by the powerful water and didn’t make it out, according to Officer Mike Lopez, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department. He was identified as Luis Jose Garcia, 51, of Los Angeles, he said.

An LAFD helicopter and firefighters searched for four hours for the missing man, but did not find him.

Officers took a missing persons report and the search was called off, the officer said.

As lake waters receded Monday, the remains of a person could be seen submerged in heavy vegetation, Humphrey said.

The body has not been identified, authorities said.

Most Angelenos, he said, heeded warnings to stay clear of flooded areas.

Although the storm has moved out of Los Angeles, he advised residents to stay away from any rivers or pools of water.

“The most dangerous days are after the rainstorm,” he said.

Lake and river currents, according to Humphrey, are still active and unsafe.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

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UPDATES:

4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the LAPD about the man who disappeared in the lake.

This article was originally published at 3:30 p.m.