Some residents returning to their homes after evacuating from the Woolsey fire are being warned to prepare for potential mud flows, a deadly threat that will continue to loom over the region as the rainy season approaches.
Authorities told Malibu residents during a town hall meeting Tuesday that the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s watershed emergency response team will try to determine what areas of the city are most at risk for mud flows in the event of a strong storm.
Officials pointed to the devastating debris flow that hit Montecito after the Thomas fire burned the Los Padres National Forest last year as a warning.
“I don’t want you to think we can stop floods if it rains. Floods will occur,” Cal Fire Chief Thom Porter said. “Much like Montecito, the orders will be ‘evacuate,’ and you need to evacuate if you get that. What the team is going to do is ID the areas that are most vulnerable and the areas we can do some work.”
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