Evacuation orders lifted in LA foothills
All evacuation orders were lifted for residents of Southern California’s foothills, including Paradise Valley in La Cañada Flintridge, as hundreds of workers emptied catch basins that were filled with mud and debris from yesterday’s rains. Of 43 mudslide-damaged homes in La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta, nine were red-tagged, meaning that they were partially collapsed and uninhabitable. Also, 25 vehicles were damaged. Mudslides and debris flows in mountains can travel up to 50 miles/hour (80 km/hour).
The series of storms two weeks ago deposited about 300,000 cubic yards of material in catch basins, which was removed before yesterday’s storm. Officials estimate that the amount of mud and debris from Saturday’s storm is about the same. Catch basins will take several weeks to empty, and more rain is forecast for Tuesday evening.
In Saturday’s storm, a huge boulder clogged the inlet of the Mullally flood basin (capacity 10,000 cubic yards) on Manistee Drive in La Cañada Flintridge. The debris came over the top and down the street. Officials had prepared for the possibility by placing K-rails to divert the flow, but there was such a large flow of debris that it overwhelmed the barriers.
Last month’s storms cost LA County about $20 million. Some 300 dump trucks have operated around the clock since the storms to empty the debris basins. The trucks dump the debris into three sediment basins in the foothills. The county is in the process of obtaining a permit for a fourth sediment basin and asked Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this morning to help expedite the process, which can take years.
-Bill at
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