Storm: Authorities consider evacuation warning for Mountain Fire burn area – Yahoo
Source: VC Star
(This story has been updated with new information.)
The strongest storm so far this winter could drench Southern California later this week, prompting local officials to consider an evacuation warning for the Mountain Fire area and urge the public to stay alert.
The peak of the storm is expected to reach Ventura County by Thursday afternoon and last into Friday morning. In all, the forecast calls for around 1 to 3 inches of rainfall in coastal and valley areas. Mountain spots could see 3 to 6 inches. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for recent burn areas in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties.
Light rain and showers were expected on and off Wednesday before the second, stronger storm reaches the area, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard. The bulk of the rainfall is expected with the second system Thursday afternoon through early Friday morning, he said.
Local areas can expect slippery roads and some flooding or mud flows in spots, Wofford said Tuesday. Rainfall rates could climb up to a half inch per hour or higher at times.
Early this week, local authorities were closely monitoring the developing forecast, said Patrick Maynard, director of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. As of Tuesday afternoon, officials had not issued an evacuation warning for spots in the Mountain Fire burn area but were expected to discuss the possibility.
A warning means people should be prepared to leave, but the threat is not yet imminent. If one is issued, Maynard urged residents to stay alert to changing conditions and be ready to evacuate.
“It is short duration, high intensity rain, which is why we’re a little concerned,” he said.
The Mountain Fire erupted near Somis on Nov. 6 and burned 31 square miles, including the hillsides and ravines above Camarillo. Just one storm can cause problems after a wildfire, depending on how quickly the rain falls and other factors.
Flames can leave behind a landscape with few or no plants that otherwise protect the soil from erosion. When hills erode, the runoff can carry rocks, sediment, burned debris and vegetation downstream. In general, experts say a half inch of rain per hour could trigger flash floods and debris flows after a fire.
But in the Mountain Fire area, agencies set a slightly higher threshold of 0.6 of an inch of rain, based on the burn severity and other factors.
If rainfall reaches that threshold, it does not mean debris flows will happen, but areas could be more susceptible at that point, Maynard said. Storm by storm, agencies expect to learn more about any trouble spots and potential hazards.
“Until we see it react a few times, we’ll want to be extra cautious and just pay close attention for any kind of hazardous conditions that may develop,” he said.
During this week’s storm, local authorities also plan to monitor a rural stretch of Piru Canyon Road near where the Felicia Fire burned in October and the Foster Park neighborhood near Ventura. The community near Camp Chaffee Road repeatedly flooded over the past two winters, but crews recently dug out the sediment-clogged creek to help prevent problems.
Some rainfall could linger into Friday, Wofford said. But conditions should taper off and dry out by Friday night or Saturday morning.
The forecast shows the area then could stay dry through the end of the month, he said. Still, if the region gets the forecasted rainfall, it could mean the end to a long, busy fire season.
“We’ll be close to that threshold,” Wofford said. “But we’ll just have to see how it all pans out.”
Over the weekend, volunteers with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led nonprofit organization that provides disaster assistance, placed sandbags and plastic in spots around the Mountain Fire burn area.
The county teamed up with the organization and others to fill and bring dozens of pallets of sandbags to the area. Team Rubicon offered to help local residents put those sandbags in place. Residents can sign up to request help on the OES website and, so far, around 20 have done so, officials said.
For more information about the burn area, visit vcemergency.com/mountain-fire-burn-area. To request help with sandbags, visit vcemergency.com/request-sandbagging-assistance.
To sign up for emergency alerts in Ventura County, go to readyventuracounty.org/vc-alert. A list of county fire stations with sandbags is available at vcfd.org/sandbag-stations/.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
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