UPDATE: Circus Vargas Show Canceled

12:57 p.m. Arcadia public schools will remained closed Friday.

Also, Thursday evening's Circus Vargas performance is cancelled.

Circus Vargas spokesperson Jennifer Olney said the wind damaged the big top and midway. Also, the marquee was blown over, and a few trailers housing the crew were damaged.

Friday's performance will go on as scheduled.

11:06 a.m. Huntington Drive and Santa Clara Street have opened to thru traffic. All other streets closed remain closed.

11 a.m. The city of Arcadia issued an update on street closures and alternate routes:

The following streets have been closed to all westbound traffic:

Colorado at Santa Anita
Huntington at Santa Anita
Santa Clara/Rolyn
Campus at Santa Anita
Foothill at Santa Anita
Camino Real at Santa Anita
Longden at Santa Anita

Alternate routes for westbound traffic may include the 210 Freeway, Duarte Road, Live Oak Avenue and Las Tunas Drive.

Please be assured that the City is working as quickly as possible to restore things to normal, city officials said. Incidents are handled on a priority basis with the most urgent being addressed first.

City Hall remains open. However, the Arcadia Public Library and Historical Museum are closed today.

Westfield Santa Anita and Santa Anita Park have also advised they are currently closed due to the wind storm and/or power outages.

9:20 a.m. All Arcadia Recreation and Community Services-run activities for Thursday and Friday are cancelled.

8:59 a.m.

At Los Angeles International Airport, an hour-long power outage starting around 7 p.m. Wednesday affected all passenger terminals and caused 20 inbound domestic flights and three international flights to be diverted to other area
airports. Power was restored by 8 p.m., but delays lingered this morning, LAX spokeswoman Nancy Castles said.

Courtesy: City News Service

8:14 a.m.

Arcadia officials have partially activated the city's Emergency Operations Center to deal with damage from the severe Santa Ana winds.

Many roadways remain blocked or restricted due to fallen trees and downed power lines.

The Department of Public Works says its primary focus is clearing major streets such as Baldwin Avenue, Huntington Drive and Santa Anita Avenue.

City officials urge residents to avoid driving if possible.

Reminder: All public schools remain closed in Arcadia.

7:17 a.m.

Southern California Edison reports 213,394 customers without power.

SCE Spokesperson Vanessa McGrady says Arcadia, along with the rest of the San Gabriel Valley and the 210 Corridor, is one of the hardest hit areas.

"The winds just whipped through there," she said. "That's where the winds are."

McGrady says she does not have the exact number of Arcadia customers who remain in the dark, but urged people to take the outages in stride.

"Please be patient. Crews are working on it," she said. "But, because of the wind, you could have one neighborhood restored while another street goes down."

SCE and public safety officials remind Arcadia residents to never, ever touch a downed power line — even if it looks dead.

Instead, call 911 immediately.

5:40 a.m.

Severe Santa Ana winds have caused power outages and roadway hazards throughout the San Gabriel Valley, prompting the Arcadia Unified School District to cancel all classes Thursday.

Private schools have also been asked to close. Check with your child's school to see whether it is closed.

Winds of 80-100 mph have left many streets littered with downed trees, branches and downed power lines. The National Weather Service calls this one of the most serious wind events in years. 

More strong winds are expected tonight throughout Southern California, according to the NWS.

City officials have declared a local state of emergency and urge residents to stay home.

The Arcadia Fire Department has issued a fire warning. Check lafd.blogspot.com or the #LAwind on Twitter for real-time updates.

Patch is waiting to hear back from Southern California Edison to get the precise number of customers without power in Arcadia. Meanwhile, check the SCE outage map to see whether your neighborhood, place of employment or streets along your commute are without power.

Patch is also awaiting word from the Arcadia Department of Public Works on streets closures.

This is a developing story. Check Patch for more later.

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