The O'Tooles figure they've done everything they can. They sealed off the garage of their beachfront home in Malibu, and fortified it with sandbags. They arranged for the emergency evacuation of possessions and pets. People around here are nervous. They have good reason to be.
Empty lots dot their street where homes once stood.
The warm Pacific Ocean current could change weather patterns across the country, and cause droughts and flooding worldwide. At the moment, Southern California is enjoying a glorious September. It develops when brisk trade winds that blow west across the Pacific suddenly die for unknown reasons. Without these winds, the warm pool of ocean water that typically resides in the western Pacific near Indonesia sloshes eastward toward South America. It spreads out along the equator, warmings the air above it and creating a hot, moist breeding ground for huge storms and hurricanes.