CA: Evacuations continue as officials scramble to clear debris basins ( Los Angeles )

Los Angeles Times ^ | February 6, 2010 | 6:29 p.m. | Victoria Kim, Ruben Vives and Nicole Santa Cruz

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Rivers of mud and debris damaged or destroyed dozens of homes as they cascaded down the hillsides of La Cañada Flintridge. Crews are racing to make room in catch basins before more rains arrive.

A flash flood warning in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills damaged by the Station fire has been lifted and a second band of rain cells passed through the burn area without triggering more of the mudslides that damaged or destroyed 43 homes in La Cañada Flintridge, closed several roads in the Santa Monica Mountains and washed out portions of Angeles Crest Highway and Ortega Highway near Idyllwild.

But with debris basins along the San Gabriel Mountains near capacity or overflowing, any additional rain or thunder storms will carry the threat of more damaging debris flows.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who appeared with officials from the fire and public works departments at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said he was shocked by the storm damage in La Cañada Flintridge, which he felt could have been prevented if the US. Forest Service had acted more quickly to prevent the spread of the Station fire last fall.

"Earlier this morning I toured the site and I was devastated; I was really, really, shocked by what I had seen," Antonovich said. "The homes destroyed, automobiles pushed out of the way by the storms, the mudslides moving heavy concrete barriers. . . . It was as if you were at Universal Studios on the studio tour seeing a war zone area."

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Some news on the damage....another storm due Tuesday.

[al baby]

I blame Tony Villar

[SierraWasp]

Well, neither this storm or Tiger Woods being AWOL seemed to be able to stop that golf tournament today...

[garjog]

[lainie]

I’m with Al.. it’s Mayor Teeth’s fault

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That looks bad.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It’s fine with me....It would have been better not to have had the fire too.

[girlreporter]

Thanks for posting this. I agree with Antonovich — the forest service did not do enough to stop the Station Fire when it started.

The water/debris this morning went from the top of Ocean View down at least a couple miles to the town of Montrose.

[Mjaye]

Speaking of Tony Villar, has there been any mention in the MSM about his using a phony black dialect last week at an event? I couldn’t believe it when I heard it. Imagine anybody but a Dem getting away with this.

[SunkenCiv]

how are you doing?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I’m fine , I am many miles away from the mountains,...I am near the Beach....you know.,..LOL!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Oh,...there was a Golf tournament today,...I was getting ready for the viewing of the super bowl....

Stricker roars, Johnson falls at Riviera

Wonder how they pulled that off...it was wet down here.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Nite all,...this cold is getting to me...YUK!

[Hardastarboard]

Boy, I do like your tag line.

[Grampa Dave]

What is happening down there?

Last week was a paradox in Northern and Middle Coastal California.

The wineo counties had rain most of the week and a frog drowner Friday night, actually early morning. Our fly club had a steelhead fishing event on the Russian river for yesterday and today, and it was cancelled due to very high river flows.

We were in Pismo Beach last week and inspite of rain predictions, it was basically dry until Thursday night. We had a little rain on our drive back home.

We may have another one of those Valentine Day super storms.

[SunkenCiv]

;’)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well we had rain,...Thursday night & Friday.... didn’t seem that bad here but the guys just below the station fire area got mudflows as the story indicates.

Not sure whether it was that the rain was much heavier or just that the previous storms loosened the soil enough for it to start moving.

If the latter,...then with the next storm coming we will see more of this .

Nice sunshine this Sunday morning so maybe we will get some drying.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From the times:

A gas company worker digs in front of a flattened home on Manistee Drive, where the flash flood caused a gas leak. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I guess this is a new story with more detail on the damage:

'Niagara' of mud hits homes

*********************************EXCERPT*******************************

Dozens of houses in La Cañada Flintridge are damaged or destroyed in a storm that defied forecast.

By Rong-Gong Lin II, Victoria Kim and Ruben Vives

February 7, 2010

An unexpectedly powerful rainstorm unleashed a torrent of mud that inundated more than 40 houses Saturday, leaving La Cañada Flintridge's northernmost neighborhood awash in boulders, dented cars and broken homes.

The force of the mudflow appeared to catch residents and officials off guard, as the forecast initially called for a light to moderate rainstorm. No evacuations had been ordered Thursday or Friday, when the rain began to fall.

But before dawn on Saturday, an intense band of rain cells formed over the mountains burned in the massive Station fire. What was supposed to be a fast-moving storm instead stalled, dumping rain at an alarming rate. The power of the debris flowing off the mountain pushed a 10-ton boulder into a critical catch basin in La Cañada Flintridge.

The boulder clogged the drain like a giant stopper and the ashen muck had nowhere to go but through the Paradise Valley neighborhood on the northern end of Ocean View Boulevard. Mud flowed two miles downhill, all the way to Foothill Boulevard.

"It looked like the Niagara Falls was coming down the street," said Amanda Manukian, who lives in the 5400 block of Ocean View Boulevard. She said she saw firefighters scramble out of her neighbor's home when a burst of rainfall poured down, threatening the crew.