Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order Monday to speed wildfire debris removal in Los Angeles County to prevent more destruction in burn zones if the region receives heavy rainfall this winter and spring.
The damaging slides are among the dangers threatening neighborhoods as firefighters continue to increase containment of the Eaton and Palisades fires and residents return to neighborhoods no longer under evacuation orders. Burned hillsides stripped of vegetation do not absorb water well, creating the potential for flash floods and mudslides that can collect debris and wipe out structures in their paths.
Newsom's order is in place to help mitigate the risk by removing debris, improving flood protection and stabilizing hillsides.
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"As work continues to fight fires across Los Angeles County, the state is already working to prepare for the damage that can happen when winter rainstorms hit burn scars, causing landslides and flooding," Newsom said. in a statement. "This order helps keep our emergency response focused on protecting communities, not permits and paperwork."
Southern California has faced an extremely dry start to what is typically the wettest time of the year. The region receives most of its rain and snowfall from October to April.
The current wet season stands in stark contrast to the previous one, when record rainfall left the region's hillsides covered in brush, but also triggered damaging slides in some of Los Angeles County's canyon communities and on roads.
Last week, a Pacific Palisades home split in two when it was damaged by a hillside that collapsed in a neighborhood that burned in the Palisades Fire. Flames did not damage the home, but some nearby residences were either damaged or burned to the ground. Parts of the streets also collapsed down the hill under the weight of rubble and water.
"It's safe to say that the infrastructure under thousands of homes has been compromised," LAFD Capt. Erik Scott said last week. "With that can come challenges like this if the home is on a steep hillside."
Scott said the department is mapping properties to identify potential dangers. The agency is well over one-third of the way through mapping those properties, Scott said.
"We're not out of the woods, yet," Scott said. "We're going to have to deal with rains and mudslides that come, as well."
