Power outages, slide danger as storm hits Calif.
LOS ANGELES — A big Pacific storm swept into California on Tuesday with damaging winds and downpours that put a central community under an evacuation advisory because of mudslide fears, while residents near hillsides denuded by wildfires in the south braced for a dangerous overnight drenching.
The main fear was that the rains would cause mud and debris to rush down hillsides made bare from the summer fire, state fire spokeswoman Colleen Baxter said.
Homeowners filled sandbags and crews erected concrete barriers to channel potential flows from denuded slopes. Some residents took to placing boulders in key areas around their homes, hoping to blunt the destructive power of flash floods.
“We know the fires go through and do a lot of damage,” Los Angeles County fire Inspector Frederic Stowers said. “Within L.A. County, much of the slopes burned are going to be critical.”
Authorities urged evacuation of about 60 homes in the Santa Cruz Mountains town of Davenport, 50 miles south of San Francisco, where an August wildfire stripped vegetation from about 12 square miles of land.
More than 6 inches of rain fell in the Santa Cruz range, the National Weather Service said.
The storm slammed into a drought-stricken state that has become a checkerboard of wildfire scars small, big and gigantic. Flash flood watches were posted for burn areas dating back to early 2008.
Heavy rain, however, was taking its time reaching Southern California, where there was major concern in the Los Angeles foothill suburbs on the perimeter of the notorious Station Fire, which blackened 250 square miles of the Angeles National Forest in August and September, destroying dozens of homes and causing two deaths.
The fire stripped steep slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains that rise almost literally out of the back yards of homes, and the U.S. Geological Survey recently warned that even small storms could unleash massive flows of debris-laden water into communities.
Dorothy Kruegermann, 44, of La Crescenta, said she had looked at all the dirt and rocks that might be swept down from the mountains and was considering options.
“We might go to in-laws tonight,” she said.
“If it rains really really hard, and the creeks overflow, we get flooded out,” said hair salon owner Walter Claudio, 50, whose Santa Barbara hillside home was also evacuated because of the fire. Several neighbors’ homes had been damaged from the flames.
“We’ve been putting boulders on my property, to hold some banks close to the house,” Claudio said. “Everyone’s been really proactive the last two months, getting ready for this.”
At a park, volunteers filled and distributed sandbags.
“There were 50 people here yesterday all over that bin of sand like ants on candy,” said volunteer Steve Pierce, 66. “It’s a lot to deal with so soon after the fire, but we had a (community) meeting last week and that really motivated people.”
La Crescenta High School teacher Jim Smiley and his two sons filled their van with sandbags. He said a neighbor who had been through fire and floods in 1975 advised that mud would come down their street, go down their driveway and in through the front door.
“Based on what happened 25 years ago, we’re going to have 100 sandbags,” Smiley said.
It was the same scene northwest of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara, where a May wildfire destroyed many homes.
“It is obvious to me there are going to be some slides,” said resident Richard Payatt, 46. “It’s part of living in Santa Barbara with these beautiful hills. Occasionally you get fires, and then you get slides.”
High winds knocked out power to more than a quarter-million Pacific Gas & Electric customers in central and northern areas, but crews had managed to restore power to more than half, said utility spokesman Joe Molica.
Gusts also knocked down a 500 kilovolt transmission line near Moss Landing at the center of the Monterey Bay coast, forcing the state’s electrical grid manager to declare a power emergency. Authorities said loss of the line made it hard to get power from Southern California and urged the north to conserve.
The unusually strong fall storm also dropped a half-foot of snow in the Sierra Nevada and whipped up enough dust in the San Joaquin Valley to make air quality unhealthy in Kings, Tulare and Kern counties.
Associated Press Writer Brooke Donald in San Francisco contributed to this report.
Related News
High-voltage power line knocked down as wet weather, high winds batter CaliforniaOctober 13th, 2009 High-voltage power line downed in Calif. stormFOLSOM, Calif.
Storm hits California; residents warned of possible debris flow near wildfire-ravaged areasOctober 13th, 2009 Calif. storm prompts debris flow concernsLOS ANGELES — Homeowners filled sandbags and crews erected concrete barriers to guard southern California property against possible landslides Tuesday as a major Pacific storm threatened to inundate foothills recently denuded by wildfire. A key concern was that heavy rains could cause mud and debris to slip down hillsides made bare from the summer fire, state fire spokeswoman Colleen Baxter said.
Communities near California wildfire burn areas prepare for possible mudslides as storm nearsOctober 12th, 2009 Calif. wildfire-area communities prepare for rainLOS ANGELES — An unusually strong October storm is bearing down on California, prompting residents in areas burned by recent wildfires to prepare for heavy rain that could send mud and debris flowing into canyon and foothill neighborhoods. Residents of La Canada Flintridge, near the barren Southern California hillsides that the massive Station Fire scorched this summer, shoveled sand into bags Monday.
Tropical storm Patricia strengthens in Pacific hundreds of miles off Mexico's Baja CaliforniaOctober 12th, 2009 Tropical storm in Pacific strengthens off MexicoLOS CABOS, Mexico — Tropical Storm Patricia strengthened Monday as it inched closer to the tip of Baja California, prompting Mexico's government to issue a tropical storm watch for the resort-dotted southern part of the peninsula. Forecasters at the U.S.
First significant rain of season heads toward wildfire-scarred CaliforniaOctober 9th, 2009 Rain heads toward fire-scarred CaliforniaLOS ANGELES — The first significant rain of the season is heading toward wildfire-scarred California. The National Weather Service says a storm approaching the West Coast will bring rain by Monday, mostly in the northern and central portions of the state.
Southern California wildfire almost fully surrounded; firefighting costs top $6 millionSeptember 26th, 2009 S. California wildfire almost fully surroundedMOORPARK, Calif. — A 27-square-mile wildfire in Southern California is 95 percent contained.
Tropical Storm Nora strengthens in the open Pacific Ocean, no threat to landSeptember 23rd, 2009 Tropical Storm Nora strengthens in PacificMIAMI — Tropical Storm Nora is strengthening in the open Pacific far off Mexico's coast, but the system is not expected to threaten land. The storm has maximum sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kph).
Wildfire burns 8,500 acres in Southern California's Ventura County, 10 percent containedSeptember 23rd, 2009 Southern California wildfire burns 8,500 acresMOORPARK, Calif. — A wind-whipped wildfire burning in the rural hills above Ventura County in Southern California has spread over 8,500 acres, or more than 13 square miles.
Tropical Storm Nora forms in the Pacific Ocean, is no threat to landSeptember 23rd, 2009 Tropical Storm Nora forms in the Pacific OceanMIAMI — Tropical Storm Nora has formed in the Pacific far off Mexico's coast and is not expected to threaten land. The storm has maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (65 kph) and is expected to strengthen.
Marijuana plantations go up in smoke as Los Angeles regional forest burns in wildfireSeptember 18th, 2009 Pot goes up in smoke in wildfire above Los AngelesLOS ANGELES — The wildfire that has ravaged a national forest near Los Angeles has burned one plant species that authorities are happy to see go: marijuana. The fire destroyed an untold number of marijuana plantations in the Angeles National Forest, a growing hub for pot-growing operations in California.
Jimena plows over Baja California after brushing past southern resorts; down to tropical stormSeptember 2nd, 2009 Jimena down to tropical storm on Baja CaliforniaLOS CABOS, Mexico — Forecasters say Jimena has weakened to a tropical storm as it plowed over Baja California
The storm made landfall Wednesday afternoon between Puerto San Andresito and San Jaunico, a sparsely populated area of fishing villages on the Pacific coast of the peninsula. By late Wednesday, winds had decreased to 70 mph (110 kph).
Gov. declares emergency in wildfire charring Sierra Nevada foothills in CaliforniaAugust 21st, 2009 Gov. declares emergency in California wildfireMARYSVILLE, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in a Northern California county after a wildfire forced the evacuation of more than 100 people and destroyed two homes.
Some evacuations lifted as firefighters make progress on wildfire in Northern CaliforniaAugust 18th, 2009 Some evacuations lifted in California wildfireMARYSVILLE, Calif. — Authorities are lifting some evacuations near a wildfire in Northern California's Sierra Nevada foothills as firefighters make progress against the flames.
Evacuations ordered in Northern Calif. wildfire, 1 of several started by lightningAugust 11th, 2009 Evacuations ordered in Northern Calif. wildfireBURNEY, Calif.
Dry, windy weather brings 1-week delay in estimated full containment of California wildfireMay 13th, 2009 Weather delays containment of Calif. wildfireSANTA BARBARA, Calif.
Loading ...