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LOS ANGELES-Around 1,000 homes were served with a mandatory evacuation order as southern California braced for the arrival of a severe rain storm, officials said Thursday.The evacuation orders covered homes in areas affected by recent wildfires, with the National Weather Service warning that the storm would bring threats of flash-flooding and mudslides on burnt hillsides.The areas named covered Modjeska, Williams and Silverado Canyons in Orange County, south of Los Angeles.All residents must evacuate by 8:00 pm (0400 GMT), the Orange County Sheriff's Department said.The storm, which developed from a cold front near the Gulf of Alaska, is expected to slam into southern California late Thursday, with forecasts saying up to three inches of rain could fall over the region. The California coastline has been battered by monster 15-feet waves this week that has sent surfers scrambling to beaches. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday ordered the state Office of Emergency Services to prepare for the weather front by pre-positioning rescuers in areas expected to be worst hit.Schwarzenegger also urged residents to "take every precaution.""Prepare for the rains, review and update your family emergency plans and identify safe routes to higher ground," he said in a statement.The weather alert follows devastating flooding in the Pacific northwest earlier this week that left vast swathes of Washington and Oregon states under water.As in the days of Noah....
