Crews from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works place tarps and sandbags in the Baldwin Hills area in preparation from rainstorms expected to hit the region Feb. 13 and 14. Between one and three inches of rain is expected.
Courtesy photo
Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — With a potentially dangerous storm bearing down on the Southland, evacuation warnings will take effect in several areas amid fears that steady downpours could spark flooding, mudslides and debris flows.
The brunt of the storm — which began with generally light rainfall across the region Feb. 12 — is expected to hit the Los Angeles area around mid-afternoon Feb. 13, about three to six hours earlier than previous predictions.
In anticipation of the wet weather, the Los Angeles Fire Department announced that evacuation warnings will take effect at 7 a.m. Feb. 13 for areas near recent burn areas. Fire officials said specific homes considered to be at high risk will be subject to mandatory evacuation orders.
Those residents will be contacted directly by the fire department. The evacuation warnings are expected to be in effect until at least 2 p.m. Feb. 14, depending on the storm.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said evacuation warnings also are likely to be issued for residents near the Eaton Fire burn area in Altadena and Pasadena, but none had been issued as of mid-afternoon Feb. 12.
L.A. County public works crews have been working for days to prepare for the storm — emptying debris basins, clearing storm drains and distributing sandbags to residents. In the Eaton Fire burn zone, the county Department of Public Works and the sheriff’s department have also been warning residents living in homes that may be at high risk of damage from mudslides or flooding, and advising them to prepare to evacuate.
“Please, if evacuation orders are made, … keep your safety in mind,” Luna said. “They help to protect you and your loved ones from potential danger. Storms can bring sudden and severe conditions that make staying back home extremely risky. … Please take necessary steps now to prepare. Pack an emergency kit, secure important documents and ensure that you have a plan in place for your pets and family members.
“And remember, if you’re ordered to leave, you may be gone for several days. I cannot stand up here and tell you will be gone for 12 hours, 24 hours. We don’t know. It depends on the weather and the post-weather events that will impact your specific neighborhood.”
Luna said deputies have also been canvassing flood-prone areas such as the Los Angeles River to warn homeless people who may be camped there to relocate.
“Unfortunately, we witnessed numerous, numerous instances in the past of swift-water rescues where people were caught in dangerous, fast moving water, and obviously, we want to prevent that,” he said.
The National Weather Service has described the multi-day storm system as likely to be “the biggest precipitation producer so far this season.”
Only about a quarter-inch of rain fell Feb. 12, but by the time the brunt of the storm exits the area Feb. 14, roughly 1 to 3 inches of rain are expected in most coastal and valley areas, with 3 to 6 inches anticipated in the foothills and mountains.
“The cold front will be capable of producing rainfall rates (that) meet or exceed the thresholds for debris flow in the burn scars … and flood watches have already been posted for those areas,” according to the National Weather Service. “However, minor flooding of roads is likely just about anywhere.”
Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said rainfall rates that exceed a half-inch per hour can lead to mud and debris flows, although factors such as topography, the soil system, geology and the status of the flood control system all contribute to the potential for such occurrences.
“We are in a state of readiness with those facilities,” Pestrella said. “We have the capacity for the size of storm that we expect to come with this storm.”
He noted that the county has been working with federal agencies to develop a system for containing debris that may start flowing from within the Palisades and Eaton fire burn zones, hoping to contain any such flows on streets in those areas.
“This is unusual,” he said. “We don’t typically want any debris to end up in the streets.”
But he said using a vast system that includes thousands of miles of K-rail and hundreds of thousands of sandbags, crews are hoping to capture debris before it reaches streets, but if it does, the flows will be diverted and contained on streets to prevent it from reaching waterways, which would lead to the ocean in the Palisades area.
Pestrella said that while the county has been working to notify residents in the fire zones whose homes may be at increased danger of experiencing mudslides, he urged residents who think they may be at risk to contact the county at 800-675-4357 to have their property evaluated. The service is available at any county location, not just the recent fire areas.
“This service is going to be provided right up to and to the point that we can no longer get to your properties,” he said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass urged residents to be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Bass urged people to sign up for emergency alerts though notifyla.gov. And while the primary concern locally is in the recent burn areas, Bass stressed that the warning “is for all of Los Angeles,” so residents across the city and region should be prepared.
The mayor said city crews — much like county crews — have been scrambling to prepare for the rain by clearing out catch basins, removing debris from storm drains and installing measures such as concrete barriers and thousands of sandbags, particularly in the Palisades Fire burn area.
