While rain is expected to aid firefighters battling multiple wildfires in Southern California, heavy downpours on charred hillsides could trigger mudslides and toxic ash runoff. Officials are working to mitigate the risks by removing vegetation, shoring up slopes, and installing flood-control infrastructure. Residents are urged to take precautions and wear protective gear during cleanup efforts.
ByWorkers secure a net to prevent mudslides over the burned side of a mansion in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 24, 2025.
The National Weather Service said most of the region would likely get less than an inch of precipitation, but “the threat is high enough to prepare for the worst-case scenario” of localized cloudbursts causing mud and debris to flow down hills. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order this week to expedite cleanup efforts and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. LA County supervisors also approved an emergency motion to install flood-control infrastructure and expedite and remove sediment in fire-impacted areas.
Concerns about post-fire debris flows have been especially high since 2018, when the town of Montecito up the coast from LA was ravaged by mudslides after a downpour hit mountain slopes burned bare by a huge blaze. Twenty-three people died, and hundreds of homes were damaged.
WILDFIRES MUDSLIDES RAIN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TOXIC ASH
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