California has not received much rain until recently. The first wave of El Niño has made its way to shore and is already creating havoc for drivers.

Racing the Baja 1000 you come across many types of terrains and get used to driving in any condition. Elias Hanna, a Baja 1000 champion several times over, racing everything from Class 7 to Trophy Trucks, happened to be at the right spot at the right time.

Hanna works on pushing out vehicles who got stuck in the water with his Jeep.

Hanna works at the Off Road Warehouse near Balboa Avenue in Kearney Mesa, California where water levels reached three feet.”I saw people in danger. We might as well help them out, take them out of the way,” Hanna told a local NBC 7 reporter.

“We have friends all over the street, so they were cheering for us hoping each vehicle would pull out,” Hanna said. “We’ve never seen Balboa Avenue like we did today.”

Hanna offered some advice to NBC 7, “If you see a big lagoon, if you don’t have a four-wheel drive vehicle just don’t go through it — or we come out and save you.” Words that many of the drivers should have heard before they forged their way through the water.

As little as three inches of moving water can sweep a vehicle away, so extreme caution needs to be taken during weather conditions like this. Even if you think you can make it, try and find an alternate route to make sure you arrive safely at your destination.