CNN
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Southern Californians are evacuating their homes for the second time this year, but this time, it’s for heavy rain and debris flows that threaten new destruction in areas still recovering from last month’s devastating wildfires.
The strongest storm to impact parts of California in over a year has arrived and was drenching more than 600 miles of the state early Thursday morning. Coastal areas and valleys in Southern California – including the Los Angeles basin – will see up to 3 inches of rain through Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with mountainous areas facing up to 6 inches.
Los Angeles County will see the worst of its flooding rain in the afternoon and evening but heavy rain could start as early as the late morning.
Here’s the latest:
• Heavy rain is drenching California: A powerful, atmospheric river-fueled storm is dumping rain over the state early Thursday morning. The heaviest rain is currently falling in northern and central parts of the state. Flood warnings stretch through the San Francisco Bay Area from just north of Santa Rosa to south of Monterey. Light rain is falling in Los Angeles.
• Evacuations in four counties: Evacuation warnings or orders are in effect for communities near fire-scarred areas in Southern California most at risk of debris flows and mudslides. Portions of San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Orange, and Los Angeles counties — including Malibu — are under these alerts. Evacuation warnings in Santa Cruz County are in place for low-lying areas for the risk of flooding along the San Lorenzo River. Evacuation warnings urge anyone in the area to prepare to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
• Flood risk extends beyond burn scars: Flood alerts cover a large portion of California Thursday as heavy rain falls. Torrential rainfall could quickly cause flash flooding of roads, especially in urban or poor-drainage areas anywhere from Northern California to Southern California Thursday.
Preparations for burn scar areas
Officials have been racing this week to shore up places at risk. Preparations in Los Angeles County include cleaning debris basins, installing concrete barriers and placing sandbags in fire zones to protect storm drains and filter debris. Search-and-rescue teams, deputies and helicopters are on standby to respond if needed.
“I never dreamt in my whole life I would see such utter complete devastation,” John Carr, a Pacific Palisades resident told CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL, standing outside his home, where sandbags line the driveway.
Like many of his neighbors, Carr has done what he can — clearing debris from gutters and fortifying his property. Still, with fire-scorched hillsides stripped of vegetation, the danger of mudslides and debris flows loom large. “A lot of the houses without vegetation around them, burned off, could slide down the hill very easily,” he said.
The California Conservation Corps has deployed erosion control measures, such as sock wattles, to trap ash and debris before they contaminate waterways.
“For weeks, we’ve been worried about the possibility of having rain on a fire-impacted area,” Col. Eric Swenson of the Army Corps of Engineers told CNN.
The threat is particularly acute in communities like Altadena and the Palisades, where homes sit precariously on steep slopes. “The biggest concern when you have rain on a fire-impacted area is that the soil can become unstable,” Swenson said. “If you get enough water fast enough, you can cause a separation which causes the slide.”
Operations may be suspended if conditions become unsafe. “If the rain is so bad that we can’t see (or) operate safely, and it endangers our crews, then we’re not going to work,” Swenson said. In the event of a mudslide, California’s rapid-response system — coordinated by state and local agencies — will be activated to protect affected areas.
The devastation from recent wildfires has been particularly severe, with entire neighborhoods reduced to ash. “What makes this fire even worse is just the scope and scale of it,” Swenson said. “The sheer number of homes that were lost, plus the homes left standing within this field of debris, raises concerns for those residents who either have to or want to reoccupy their homes.”
Robert Fenton, the FEMA Region 9 administrator, told CNN the challenges of debris removal in fire-damaged areas as a storm looms. “We actually use wet methods to keep down the dust, so we’re constantly wetting it down,” Fenton said.
“The last time we’ve really seen this at somewhat of this scale is 2017, fires in Santa Rosa. This is at a much greater scale with much more destruction to properties,” Fenton said.
California’s wildfire insurance system is also buckling under mounting pressure. The state Insurance Department announced Tuesday that California’s program providing insurance to high-risk property owners needs an additional $1 billion to cover claims from January’s wildfires, according to the Associated Press. The Eaton and Palisades Fires, which destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, are expected to cost the plan $4 billion.
Meanwhile, private insurers like Allstate have scaled back coverage in California, citing wildfire risks.
Two other deadly winter storms
West Coast storminess comes as parts of the eastern US are dealing with the aftermath of back-to-back winter storms this week that also unleashed damaging severe weather on the South Wednesday.
At least four tornadoes impacted Mississippi and Alabama. Survey teams will be sent to determine if other tornadoes hit the region.
About 20 homes and half a dozen businesses were damaged in Columbia, Mississippi, when severe thunderstorms whipped up a possible tornado Wednesday night, the mayor told CNN affiliate WDAM.
“We’re very fortunate, actually,” Mayor Justin McKenzie said. “It didn’t appear to be a big tornado. We could see it from City Hall and downtown. We’re just blessed we didn’t have any injuries or anything.”
Several roads were temporarily closed and crews worked to quickly restore electricity, McKenzie told WDAM.
“Everything that’s been damaged can be rebuilt,” McKenzie said. “I just can’t commend all the guys that responded enough. They did a phenomenal job.”
The cold side of the winter storms dropped snow and ice over a vast stretch of the central and eastern US. Virginia took the brunt of it. More than a foot of snow and damaging ice impacted the state and had a role in more than 300 vehicle crashes, according to state police. Nearly 200,000 homes and businesses were still without power in the state Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.US.
More than 200 crashes also occurred in neighboring Maryland, according to state police.
A driver died in a head-on crash on a snowy road on Tuesday in Nelson County, Kentucky, south of Louisville. The driver died at the scene after losing control going around a curve and hitting an oncoming semi truck head on. The incident is still under investigation, but Kentucky State Police said speed was the main contributing factor.
Another person was killed Wednesday morning in a rollover crash in wintry weather on an exit ramp in Callaway County, Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The victim was a young child and was pronounced deceased at the scene, the city of Holts Summit said in a statement.
CNN’s Rebekah Riess, Lauren Mascarenhas, Kelly McCleary, Christine Sever and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.