Update 8:30am on 08/21/23: According to the City of Avalon, the evacuation warning has been lifted:
From City of Avalon:
Storm Update: The LA County Sheriff has rescinded the evacuation warning status for Catalina Island. Pebbly Beach Road is now reopened and Catalina Express will resume regularly scheduled services starting at 9:50am.
As Hurricane Hilary churns north from the Baja Peninsula, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department is advising Catalina Island residents and visitors to leave the island as soon as they can.
An evacuation warning issued Saturday night is in effect beginning at 6 a.m. Sunday. That warning from the L.A. Sheriff's Dept. cautioned:
"Residents and visitors, especially those with medical, access and functional needs, are advised to LEAVE as soon as possible. Departure via Catalina Express is recommended."
Those instructions followed an earlier alert telling both Catalina Island residents and visitors "especially those with medical, access and functional needs" that they should leave via the Catalina Express as soon as possible on Saturday "due to a forecast of storm impacts and possibly prolonged utility outages."
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To receive Avalon emergency alerts, text “Avalon” to 38276.
The City of Avalon additionally said: “Red Cross, LA County, and the City of Long Beach will have services available at the Catalina Express Ferry Terminal, including transportation, shelter, and other essential services.”
The city also said Avalon Bay would be closed to all incoming boaters.
Meanwhile Long Beach said it would open a temporary shelter for those leaving the island.
As you may have heard, residents of Catalina Island are being advised to leave the island as a precaution for #HurricaneHilary.
— Office of Mayor Rex Richardson (@LongBeachMayor) August 19, 2023
The City of Long Beach will open a temporary shelter in support of people who have left the island and do not have any other shelter plans during this… pic.twitter.com/YHGgD0oBA0
Travelers caught by surprise
The alerts came as droves of passengers disembarked from Catalina Express ferries Saturday morning. Several passengers looked at their phones in bewilderment as their devices pinged them just as they arrived in Avalon.
“Are we going to be okay?” Catalina day tripper Anna Rodriguez said as she rolled a suitcase with her family in tow. Rodriguez had just gotten the alert from LASD on her phone and said her return ticket was scheduled for 9 p.m. Saturday.
“Do we switch [our ticket]? They should have switched everybody if that’s the case,” Rodriguez said.
Outside of Avalon city hall, Sheriff's Deparment spokesperson Miguel Meza said Catalina Express would be providing services back to the mainland.
As of late Saturday afternoon, all Catalina Express return ferries from Avalon to the mainland seemed to be sold out on the website, but spots remained open for Sunday. Meza with LASD said as of Saturday around 5pm, he was not aware of any ferry cancellations.
Meza said visitors to the island who don’t have an emergency should not travel there. “We want them to stay home and avoid the forecast.”
A normal Saturday for many residents
But many people on Catalina Island — home to about 4,200 permanent residents — seemed unphased Saturday morning, even after the advisory to leave the island was sent out. People sunbathed, swam in the ocean, dined in the restaurants and took part in scavenger hunts around the island.
“People are still coming over," said Breeann Boyd, who works at the local hospital’s fitness center. "They probably shouldn’t be because they could get stuck here, we don’t really know what the weather is going to be like,”
“This is a new situation for everyone,” Boyd said.
In front of Island Threadz, a clothing store that sits just on the pedestrian walkway across from the Avalon beachfront, owner John Lafleur was shoveling sand into two white sandbags before going about the rest of his day.
“Mother Nature has her own agenda,” said Lafleur, who has been on the island since 1988. “All you can do is just prep for what might possibly happen. And if it does happen then we’ll just all reach out as a community and help each other,” Lafleur said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
