As the heaviest rain storm of the winter season approaches its peak on Thursday afternoon, some of Southern California’s most vulnerable areas could be facing some new obstacles.
Crews and officials across the region prepared for potential mudslides — especially in the places with burn scars from the recent wildfires that ravaged much of the Los Angeles area.
According to the National Weather Service, the most prominent time for hard rainfall was expected between noon and 6 p.m. on Thursday. Rain totals as of midday Thursday can be found here.
Some evacuation orders were made on Thursday, requiring residents living in those areas to leave immediately.
Evacuation areas in Los Angeles County include part of the Palisades Fire burn zone, namely parts of the Pacific Palisades and Topanga State Park, as well as the parts of Sierra Madre affected by the Eaton Fire. Officials on Thursday morning went door-to-door in affected areas, telling residents to leave.
An evacuation map of L.A. County can be found here.
Sections of Orange County, affected by the Airport Fire, were also included in evacuation orders. They include:
- Trabuco Canyon
- Hot Springs Canyon
- Bell Canyon
- Long Canyon
- Modjeska Canyon
During a news conference Thursday, officials told residents to take evacuation orders seriously.
“Everyone needs to be at a high state of readiness,” said Dr. Ariel Cohen of the National Weather Service. “So that if you do have an evacuation warning or order issued for your area, you take those orders and warnings very seriously.”
KTLA reporters on scene on Thursday spotted crews setting up prevention methods in the event of dangerous mudslides in those aforementioned burn areas. Crews brought sandbags and K-rails to divert rainwater away from sensitive areas that could be susceptible to slides.
KTLA’s Kimberly Cheng observed officials stopping by the previously set up barriers to check their stability around noon Thursday, as the rain picked up.
“They’re continuously checking on about more than a dozen of these debris basins to make sure that they are still doing good,” Cheng said. “So far, so good.”
As the heaviest rain storm of the winter season approaches its peak on Thursday afternoon, some of Southern California’s most vulnerable areas could be facing some new obstacles. Crews and officials across the region prepared for potential mudslides — especially in the places with burn scars from the recent wildfires that ravaged much of the […]
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