As Rain Rolls Through, Residents On Alert For Mudslides In Woolsey Fire Burn Area
MALIBU (CBSLA) – There have been no reports of significant mudslides or debris flows as of Thanksgiving morning in the Woolsey and Hill fire burn areas after rain rolled through much of Southern California overnight Wednesday.
At least three-tenths of an inch of rain had fallen in Agoura Hills and just over a tenth-of-an-inch in the Malibu area overnight, according to the National Weather Service. There was some mud flow and minor street flooding, but no reports of major damage or closures due to mudslides.
A flood advisory for much of Los Angeles County expired at 3 a.m. Thursday.
In anticipation of the flooding, many recently evacuated residents had shored up their properties with sandbags from L.A. and Ventura county fire stations.
Officials in both counties remained in an emergency response mode Thursday, preparing for potential debris, mud and rock slides.
Areas of concern include the Pacific Coast Highway and canyon roads in Malibu, as well as Malibu Creek. There was also concern about mud and rocks falling into the streets.
There are still residents that cannot access their properties in those areas due to the closure of those canyon roads. While officials have gradually allowed residents to go home as utilities are restored and areas deemed safe, about 4,000 remained evacuated in Malibu and nearby unincorporated areas.
To see the latest L.A. County road closures, click here.
"So we're worried about my house because when the rain comes, I don't know what's going to happen, because our hill was burned, it's probably going to come down," Decker Canyon resident Rebecca Carpenter told CBS2 Wednesday night.
The PCH and Topanga Canyon Boulevard were fully open Thursday morning. However, there were still several road closures north of the PCH in Malibu, including Mulholland Highway, along with Malibu Canyon, Latigo Canyon, Encinal Canyon, Ramirez Canyon and Puerco Canyon roads.
Evacuation orders were lifted at 10 a.m. Thursday for residents in the Corral Canyon and Newell neighborhoods. This includes the area north of the Malibu city limits, south of Mulholland Highway, east of Solstice Canyon and Roberts roads and west of Las Virgenes and Malibu Canyon roads. The reopening applies to residents only.
Corral Canyon Road north of the Tistou Trail remains closed. Malibu Creek State Park, Solstice Canyon and Castro Crest are also closed to all pedestrians and vehicle traffic.
Some fire-damaged areas remain unsafe and the electrical system is "extremely damaged," L.A. County Department of Public Works Director Mark Pestrella told the L.A. County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. Hundreds of utility and public safety personnel have been working to repair damaged infrastructure. A large portion of the city of Malibu was without power Monday for a planned, daylong outage to allow crews to replace destroyed and damaged power poles and string new electrical lines.
Reduced winds and moderate humidity helped firefighters fully contain the Woolsey Fire Wednesday. The fire has charred 96,949 acres, destroyed 1,643 structures in both counties and damaged 364 others. It is responsible for three deaths.
The Woolsey Fire broke out around 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 8 in the area of Alfa Road and East Street, south of Simi Valley. On Nov. 9, it jumped the south side of the 101 Freeway at Chesebro Road near Calabasas and began spreading into Malibu.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: Woolsey Fire
Disaster Assistance Centers were opened to help residents affected by the blaze. They will be closed Thanksgiving but reopen Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. They are located at the former Malibu Courthouse at 23525 Civic Center Way, and at the Conrad L. Hilton Foundation, 30440 Agoura Road, in Agoura Hills.
Residents with proper photo ID can pickup their mail at the USPS Facility at 7101 S. Central Ave. in downtown Los Angeles between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. through Friday.
Malibu schools were expected to remain closed at least through the Thanksgiving weekend. Officials of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District said specialists will begin cleaning the schools so they are ready to reopen after the holiday.
Residents were urged not to try to restore their gas service but to contact SoCal Gas to do it. They also were cautioned to watch out for workers restoring services.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
