Los Angeles County officials preparing for rain in vulnerable burn zones

With more rain in the forecast for the coming week, L.A. County officials are scrambling to prepare the region for precipitation that could severely impact areas recently burned by wildfires.

A bulletin issued by L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s office states that crews have been using heavy equipment to prepare burn areas and protect the flood control district.

According to Horvath’s office, around 400 cubic yards of mud and debris was in the process of being removed from the Cloudcroft Basin, located in the Castellammare area of Pacific Palisades near the Getty Villa, on Sunday morning.

Large k-rail infrastructure to protect homes and the ocean from debris is also being installed.

It was initially announced that Pacific Coast Highway and other parts of the Pacific Palisades would be open for public access on Sunday; however, due to residents’ concerns about crime, the checkpoints to enter the area will remain in place.

At a press conference held Sunday morning, Supervisor Horvath reminded affected residents to apply for phase two of the county’s debris removal program by visiting recovery.lacounty.gov.

Right of entry forms can also be accessed at that link; more than 4,700 of those forms have been submitted by residents in the Palisades and Eaton Fire zones, Horvath stated.

Los Angeles County Public Works Department Director Mark Pestrella — who is overseeing what he says is likely the largest debris removal and storm preparedness operation in American history — also spoke on Sunday.

“The total amount of debris between the Eaton and Palisades fires is estimated to be at 5 million tons,” Pestrella said. “That’s about 10 billion pounds of trash and debris.”

Despite the magnitude of the situation, Pestrella said his department’s priorities of saving life, property and the environment remain steadfast.

“This issue is affecting people’s health and safety…and we share the public’s concern about their property, their lives and the beach,” he said.

The department’s immediate goal is removing fire debris from washing onto beaches and into storm drains by reinforcing basin infrastructure to keep mud and debris flows away from homes. The reinforcement processes occur after each rain event, Pestrella said; the aforementioned Cloudcroft Basin, where Sunday’s press conference was held, caught 30,000 cubic yards of debris during last week’s rainstorm.

According to the National Weather Service, Los Angeles and Ventura County mountain and foothill communities could see between one and three inches of rain between Tuesday and Friday, with the peak rainfall forecast between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon.

“There is a ten to 20 percent chance of moderate debris flows if heavier rain moves over one of the recent burn scars,” NWS officials said.