First there was wind, then there was fire -- and the combination had devastating effects on livelihoods that were built through sweat, dedication and love over decades.

Now, the potential rain forecasted in the Los Angeles area has created another risk: Mudslides, and floods, made possible because of the hillsides burned during the Eaton and Palisades fires and the windstorm before the fires.

The double-hit disasters left behind thousands of tons of debris, and exposed hillsides, throughout the community.

The city of Los Angeles, LA County and others are now putting in extra work to make sure they can get the affected neighborhoods cleaned up before any rain falls, carrying huge piles of mud and vegetation down those open hills.

In the La Cañada Flintridge area specifically, the green waste is made up of branches, limbs and trunks that have not been contaminated in the fires. That debris must go through very specific cleanup procedures.

Still, even uncontaminated green waste could pose a huge problem if left on the streets.

But neighbors noticed the hard work of crews clearing the roads in Altadena, where the Eaton Fire raged through homes and businesses, even over the weekend.

"So that gave us hope on a Sunday, that much workers coming out here," said Debby Maust, an Altadena resident.

Thanos Gauthier, an administrator with the City of Pasadena Public Works program, says Pasadena residents can place their green material where a car would go, near the curb, and unbagged. Just don't block driveways or place it over storm drains.

Pasadena's position adjacent to Altadena makes clearing the massive amount of debris important.

"The windstorm probably dropped a year’s worth of green waste material that we collect in the City of Pasadena," Gauthier said. "In one day. Just overnight."

The City of Pasadena has brought in outside help to clear their streets of uncontaminated green waste, which is not part of the burn areas. Gauthier says truckloads of tree branches and other debris are arriving at that park near La Cañada Flintridge to be processed.

"The material will be taken, ultimately to their facility [and] either sold or given away as wood chip material to the public," Gauthier said.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expedited clean up for the Palisades Fire and other city neighborhoods with a new executive order.

"This is to prevent additional damage to areas already ravaged by fire and also to protect our watershed, beaches, and ocean from toxic runoff," Bass said.

Her action comes after California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed an order to bypass certain environmental rules, so that debris can be removed more quickly and protect the area from those potential landslides, mudslides and flash floods.

"This is going to a a drainage way for the water," said Eaton Fire Incident spokesperson Matthew Van Higgen, gesturing to some of the debris. "So we also want to get it out of the way so the water can flow freely."

NBCLA talked to an LA County Public Works spokesman, who says locations near the burn sites that could be problematic during any rain will be getting K-rails and other barriers of the next few days.

They may also conduct door-to-door engineering assessment just below canyon spots, telling neighbors about potential risks. They'll also share actions they can take to mitigate those risks, like board up windows or use sandbags.