Rain Now Poses A Major Threat For Singed Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CA — Rain anticipated at the end of the month in Los Angeles County could cause new suffering for residents in wildfire burn areas due to the heightened risk of debris flow and flash flooding, according to state officials.

According to LA County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella, weather forecasters anticipate a "large window for rain" coming in the later part of this month.

"The soil has been burned in some places where it's hydrophobic, meaning that it will not take water in. This is the perfect condition for debris flows, which can be extremely damaging and can travel through the community and create future hazards for those that have been left behind," Pestrella said.

It's happened before. Last year, Southern California experienced two ‘thousand-year’ storms within weeks. Los Angeles endured more than 100 mudslides in a single day from the Hollywood Hills to Bel Air. The intense rain caused havoc in areas scarred by the 2017 Skirball Fire.

On Thursday, a mudslide and wildfire debris collapsed after building up behind a home in Pacific Palisades near Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard. The home, one of the few that remained standing in its neighborhood, split in two following the landslide.

Similar problems could develop across burn scar areas, firefighters said. Without vegetation in the burn areas, the risk of slides and flash flooding during any rainstorm increases.

"A warning to all the residents, no matter where you live in LA County, if you have slopes behind your homes, or if you're located on top of the slope, these slopes have become fragile," Pestrella said. "There are mud and debris flow hazards that are existing even when it's not raining. So we want people to be very careful."

Officials are assessing the damage that's occurred due to the deadly wildfires that ravaged multiple areas of the county. On Thursday, Pestrella said crews were evaluating the damage to the county's flood control system, designed to catch debris flow during storms.

CalFire has deployed its Watershed Emergency Response Team to help LA prepare for post-fire risks and any possible hazards brought on by heavy rainfall. Teams will walk the burn areas to determine soil burn severity and identify possible hazards in order to reduce the risk of flooding
danger.

The Public Works Department has deployed crews to make sure the flood control system is as ready as possible for predicted rain in both the Palisades and Eaton Fire burn areas.

LA City and County officials are currently working to remove debris left behind in the wake of the Palisades and Eaton Fires. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is assisting with removing sediment, debris, silt and hazardous materials from communities in the burn areas.

Late January and February are typically the wettest months of Southern California's rainy season. However, National Weather Service Meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld told Patch it's still too soon to say what the weather has in store for Los Angeles two weeks out.

"In an event that we have major rain we do expect that all of the street areas and all the communities will be impacted by debris flows that could be hazardous to human health," Pestrella said.

Anyone who wants to have their home assessed or engineering advice from watershed assessment teams can call 211 to set up an appointment, Pestrella said.