With Fires Coming Under Control, LA Preps for Mudslides
This article was originally published Jan. 20, 2025 on laist.com.
Topline:
With charred earth all over L.A. County, officials are preparing for possible mudslides. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Monday that clears the way for reinforcing hillsides and cleaning out waterways quickly in anticipation of rain.
What the order does: With thunderstorms in the forecast this weekend, the order suspends environmental protection laws that would usually require impact studies and other bureaucratic delays.
Why now? Scientists say mudslides are more likely in burn scar areas because the vegetation that stabilizes soil is gone. Burn scar areas can also be less likely to absorb rain water.
“As burn scars do not absorb water at normal rates, they create a risk for mudslides, landslides, flash floods, and debris flows. Today’s action will help mitigate this risk and protect communities by hastening efforts to remove debris, bolster flood defenses, and stabilize hillsides in affected areas,” Newsom’s office said in a statement.
Why it matters: Two people died because of the Thomas Fire, which burned through Santa Barbara County in late 2017. But the mudslides that followed killed 23 people in the town of Montecito and surrounding areas.
