California storm cleanup begins

Deadly rain leave mudslides and car-sized potholes

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- The sun began poking through the clouds Wednesday as California emergency crews shifted into cleanup mode after a six-day drenching that killed at least nine people, destroyed dozens of houses and flooded roads and airports.

The Transportation Department hurried to clear at least 20 major roads closed by mudslides and flooding, and in Malibu, crews prepared to destroy a boulder the size of a house that dangled precariously above the Pacific Coast Highway, held back by only a retaining wall. Crews also worked to fill thousands of potholes -- some the size of cars.

Engineers fanned out across Los Angeles to assess whether houses on slipping soil were still habitable. More than 100 homes were temporarily uninhabitable or safe only for limited entry.

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