With rain predicted for Los Angeles County, authorities began prepping the burn scars around Southern California, including Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
Nearly 40,000 acres were burned in LA County by the wildfires that raged throughout Southern California in early January, including the Eaton and Palisades fires. They destroyed entire neighborhoods and set more than 18,000 buildings on fire.
Since the fires also burnt a lot of the vegetation, officials have moved some of their attention to the upcoming rainy weather. Repopulation efforts in those devastated villages have been going on for about a week. Concerns of mudslides and floods damaging towns close to the burn scars have grown as a result of the absence of vegetation to stabilize the soil.
“Even before we saw rain on the horizon in Los Angeles, I directed my departments and agencies to act fast to protect neighborhoods from potentially hazardous debris flows,” said Governor Gavin Newsom. “By stationing resources and staff in key locations, we can help make a difference as we transition from fire response to storm preparedness.”
The situation was likened by Newsom’s office to the mudslides that occurred in Montecito after the Thomas Fire in January 2018.In addition to destroying or damaging almost 4,000 dwellings, the mudslides claimed 23 lives. Dave Jones, the Insurance Commissioner of California at the time, reported that insurers had received over 2,000 claims totaling over $421 million. Of that, $388 million went for residential real estate.
To assist local authorities in identifying and safeguarding high-risk regions, state officials have recruited hundreds of personnel, including engineers, National Guard troops, and a dozen geologists. To assist prevent flooding and mudslides in the burn scars, Cal Fire and Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation crews have begun filling sandbags.
To get ready for the possible rain, local officials have set up a dashboard for fire stations and other community institutions that provide sand and sandbags.
Additionally, starting Wednesday, the city of Pasadena will provide free, pre-filled sandbags at the following locations:
Additionally, a limited amount of sand and sandbags will be available at the following Pasadena Fire Department stations:
Residents in Pasadena are only permitted to bring ten pre-filled sandbags. Both the LA County and Pasadena locations require proof of residency in order to acquire the sand and sandbags.
According to the National Weather Service, its forecasters are “lowly confident in timing” but “highly confident in widespread rain.”
In most places, they anticipate between 0.1 and 0.5 inches of rain. However, over an extended period of time, the San Gabriels may receive anything from 0.5 to 1.5 inches of rain.
This week earlier. To assist in removing the hazardous debris from the impacted Palisades and Eaton fire areas, Newsom issued an executive order.