02/14/2025
Storm Pounds Southland, Causing Flooding, Mud Flows -- Flood warnings in the Valley include Chatsworth, Northridge, Woodland Hills, Encino, Van Nuys, North Hollywood
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Heavy rain pummeled most of the Southland today,
prompting evacuation warnings and orders as the precipitation intensified and sparked localized flooding and mud flows, particularly in recent burn areas.
The flood warnings covered areas including Malibu, Topanga State Park,
Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Topanga Canyon Road through the Santa Monica
Mountains and Mandeville Canyon, Malibu Canyon and Las Virgenes roads through the Santa Monica Mountains, Mount Wilson, Pasadena, Altadena, Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia, Chatsworth, Northridge, Woodland Hills, Encino, Van Nuys, Santa Clarita, North Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Universal City, Burbank, Hollywood, Venice, Culver City and Griffith Park.
The storm system began with generally light rain Wednesday, with additional precipitation falling overnight and into Thursday morning across a widespread area. But as the day wore on Thursday, the rainfall intensified, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a series of flash flood warnings for much of eastern, western and central Los Angeles County, including the Eaton, Palisades, Franklin and Bridge fire burn areas.
NWS Meteorologist Ariel Cohen said at a Thursday morning news
conference that 4 to 9 p.m. will be the most critical period of the storm.
``That the time period when we're expecting the most intense rains
coming through,'' Cohen said, saying the elevated rainfall rates can lead to
significant flooding and burn scar debris flows.
Mother Nature came through on that prediction.
According to the NWS, rainfall rates were recorded in some areas at
levels as three-quarters of an inch to 1.2 inches per hour -- well above the
rate that can typically trigger flooding or debris flows.
Storm runoff was seen racing down streets in the Pacific Palisades
area, carrying mud and debris as it overwhelmed a catch basin and cascaded onto a fortunately empty street. NWS forecasters said law enforcement in the area was reporting multiple vehicle inundated by mud across the burn area.
In the Hollywood Hills, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported a debris flow that parked 8 inches of mud on Mulholland Drive. No injuries were
reported, but crews scrambled to ensure the safety of structures above and
below the slide area.
Mud also swamped parts of Malibu Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway --
roadways that were closed prior to the storm's arrival.
In issuing flash flood warnings, which will remain in place until at
least 8 p.m., NWS forecasters said, ``There is now a high risk for a life-
threatening debris flow.''
As of early evening, however, there were no reports of any injuries
from the storm.
Evacuation warnings went into effect at 7 a.m. Thursday for recent
burn areas within the city of Los Angeles. Those orders affected:
-- Palisades Fire area: Getty Villa area, Highlands near the burned
areas, Bienveneda area near Temescal Canyon Park, Reseda Blvd area/Marinette
Road near Will Rogers State Park, Mandeville Canyon above Tanners Road.
Sunset Fire area: East and South of Runyon Canyon.
Hurst Fire area: Olive Lane in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park.
Some individual property owners in those areas whose homes were
considered to be at heightened risk were given mandatory evacuation orders. As
of 8:30 a.m. Thursday, those orders affected 106 homes in the Palisades Fire
area, nine in the Sunset Fire area and four in the Hurst Fire area, according
to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell.
LAPD officers went to each of those affected homes to notify them of
the order. Those homeowners also received electronic notifications, and door-
hangers were left at their homes if police were unable to contact them.
McDonnell also said no private contractors were being permitted in the
Palisades burn area Thursday due to the evacuation warnings and orders.
The evacuation orders and warnings were expected to be in effect until
at least 2 p.m. Friday, depending on the storm.
Evacuation warnings also stretched into the Malibu area. All Malibu
campuses in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District were closed
Thursday ``due to road closures and weather concerns.'' District officials said
the closure may extend into Friday depending on weather conditions.
Additional evacuation warnings were issued in the San Gabriel
foothills near the Eaton Fire burn area, affecting thousands of residents. The
city of Sierra Madre issued mandatory evacuation orders Thursday morning
impacting nearly 1,000 residences.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said individual homes in areas
patrolled by his agency were also given mandatory evacuation orders if their
properties were considered at risk. Speaking to KNX News Thursday morning, Luna
said authorities were taking a ``surgical'' approach to the mandatory
evacuations to specifically target hopes considered at heightened danger.
He said mandatory evacuations as of Thursday morning were issued for
nine homes in Altadena, 49 in Malibu, five in San Dimas and 35 in Palmdale.
In Orange County, mandatory evacuations were ordered in areas near the
Airport Fire burn area. The orders were in effect for Trabuco Canyon,
including the RC Airport, fire station, campground/park and school; Bell
Canyon, including Starr Ranch; and Hot Springs Canyon, including Lazy-W Ranch.
Evacuation warnings were in place for Long Canyon and Modjeska Canyon.
O'Neill Regional Park was also closed Thursday, including the campgrounds.
A dormitory-style shelter was set up at the Foothill Ranch Library
Program Annex at 27002 Cabriole Way, for Orange County residents leaving the
area during the storm.
L.A. County public works crews worked for days in advance 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 warned 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 NWS has described the multi-day storm system as likely to be ``the
biggest precipitation producer so far this season.''
By the time the storm exits the area on Friday, 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.
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.
He insisted, however, that crews have been working around the clock to ensure
the county's 154 debris are clear and have the capacity to capture mud and
debris that could descend mountain slopes.
``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 worked 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 worked 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.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works was distributing
free sandbags at the La Costa Post Office, 21229 Pacific Coast Highway in
Malibu, for people in the Palisades Fire area. For those in the Eaton Fire
area, the county was offering sandbags at Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks
Ave., and Victory Park, 2575 Paloma St., both in Pasadena.
A full list of locations where sandbags are available is at
lacounty.pw/sandbags.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday 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.
Pacific Coast Highway remained closed to the public between Chautauqua
Boulevard in Pacific Palisades and Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu due to
concerns about possible mud slides or debris flows. Topanga Canyon Boulevard
was closed between PCH and Grand View Drive.
A series of road closures were also in effect in Malibu, including
Malibu Canyon Road between Piuma Road and Adamson Flats. Residents only were
being given access to Las Flores Canyon Road between Rambla Pacifico and PCH;
Piuma Road between Cold Canyon and Rambla Pacifico roads; Rambla Pacifico
between Piuma and Las Flores Canyon roads; Saddle Peak Road between Stunt and
Tuna Canyon roads; Schueren Road between Saddle Peak and Piuma roads; and Tuna
Canyon between Saddle Peak and PCH.
Drive Safely-- Plummer Street in North Hills at 5:30 pm. Photo by: Alejandro JSM Chavez
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