Storm Update 12-21-2010

Alert Message has been issued by the LASD – Crescenta Valley Station, Los Angeles County Sheriff.

Tuesday December 21, 2010 10:17 PM PST

Vehicles in restricted parking areas will be TOWED at midnight due to poss. unsafe mudflow LaCrescenta Montrose

Due to the impending storm, if you have cars parked in the posted restricted parking areas, please remove them from the street before midnight, Tues, Dec. 21., or they will be towed.

It is very important that the streets be cleared of vehicles so that they are not possibly swept away and damaged, or damage other property.  Also so emergency equipment can pass through the area whenever possible and continue our dedicated and coordinated effort to protect lives and property.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Captain David Silversparre
Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
818-248-3464
www.lasd.org

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Storm Update

The latest from Carolyn Seitz:

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has released the following information and forecast.

For the Altadena burn areas:

RAINFALL Between 4:00 am Tuesday and 4:00 am Wednesday, rainfall is predicted to be 2.6 inches.

FLOODING, MUD & DEBRIS FLOWS Because of the possibility that the burn areas may already have reached saturation, the potential for flooding, mud and debris flows in and below the burn areas is greater.

It has been recommended that emergency response entities monitor certain areas of La Crescenta, La Canada/Flintridge, East Sierra Madre, and Altadena where the potential for mud and debris flows is greater.  Streambeds and water courses will be subject to mud and debris flows.

ROAD CLOSURES Road closures in the Angeles National Forest remain in effect.   The Chaney Trail gate remains closed.

EVACUATIONS The Millard Canyon Campground remains under an evacuation order by Angeles National Forest.

Additional information will be provided when available.

 

Latest Storm Alerts

From Carolyn Seitz: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has provided the following updated information regarding the current storm event.

This update covers the period from 8 am this morning to 6:00 am Monday, December 20th.

RAINFALL        This morning, they have organized the data differently.  Here is the anticipated rainfall for the mountain areas:

       Anticipate 0.2 to 0.5 inch rainfall between 3 AM Sun – 6 AM Sun
         Anticipate 0.4 to 0.7 inch rainfall between 6 AM Sun – NOON Sun
         Anticipate 0.3 to 0.5 inch rainfall between NOON Sun – 6 PM Sun
         Anticipate 0.75 to 1.0 inch rainfall between 6 PM Sun – 6 AM Mon

For the valleys, they provide the following data:

        Anticipate 0.1 to 0.3 inch rainfall between 3 AM Sun – 6 AM Sun
          Anticipate 0.2 to 0.5 inch rainfall between 6 AM Sun – NOON Sun
         Anticipate 0.2 to 0.4 inch rainfall between NOON Sun – 6 PM Sun
         Anticipate 0.3 to 0.7 inch rainfall between 6 PM Sun – 6 AM Mon

ROAD CLOSURES        In addition to those announced yesterday, they have added Angeles Crest Highway and the Angeles Forest Highway/Aliso Canyon area.   For Altadena, the Chaney Trail gate is closed and the Millard Canyon Campground was evacuated.

FLOOD, MUD & DEBRIS    Their data this morning indicates a low potential for flooding, mud and debris flows in the burn areas, but please continue to exercise caution in those areas that are known to flood or be subject to mud and debris flows.

Stay alert and stay safe!

Additional updates will be provided when available.

To review the data provided by the County’s Department of Public Works, here’s the link:

http://dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/forecast/file/mud4cast.pdf

 

Weekend Storm Alerts for Burn Areas

From Carolyn Seitz:

As of 4:00 am this morning, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has released the following information about the current storm event.

For the La Canada/Flintridge and Altadena burn areas:

RAINFALL – The County has revised their prediction about the amount of rainfall anticipated between 4:00 am this morning and 4:00 am Sunday. The amount of rainfall now predicted is 2.2 inches As a result of the change in the rainfall forecast, the flooding, mud and debris flow forecasts have also been revised. At this time, no significant flooding, mud or debris flows are predicted for the Altadena burn areas, but because there could be periods of heavy rain, please continue to exercise caution and stay alert to the conditions around you, especially in those areas already known to be impacted during storm events.

ROAD CLOSURES – The road closures announced in the last update remain in effect. One additional closure of note in Altadena is the closure of the gate on Chaney Trail near the National Forest boundary.

ANGELES FOREST HY FROM ANGELES CREST HY TO ALISO CYN RD – Beginning Sunday, December 19

MT WILSON RED BOX RD FROM VIDEO RD TO ANGELES CREST HY – Beginning at 2:00 am, Sunday, December 19 Other public roads in the Angeles National Forest may be subject to closure due to mudflow/debris deposition at numerous locations below the burned hillsides.

EVACUATIONS – CLOSURES The Millard Canyon Campground was ordered closed by the Angeles National Forest. If you want to see the current forecasts issues by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, here is the link: http://dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/forecast/file/mud4cast.pdf If you have questions, please let me know. As always, stay safe!

 

Weekend Flooding Info

From Carolyn Seitz:

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has released the following information about anticipated rainfall and potential for flooding, mud and debris flows and road closures:

For La Canada/Flintridge and the Altadena burn areas:

Rainfall amount expected between 4:00 am this morning and 4:00 am tomorrow morning – 0.2 inches

Potential for flooding in the burn areas or mud and debris flows – None anticipated

Road closures – No new road closures are anticipated

Additional or updated information will be provided as available.

The “mud forecast” information provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works is online here:

http://dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/forecast/file/mud4cast.pdf

 

Storm Alert from L.A. County

From Carolyn:

As of 11 am this morning, the County’s Unified Command has issued the following information in preparation for the storm event expected to affect the Foothill burn areas, including Altadena.

The Unified Command consists of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

WEATHER    Rain is expected to begin around midnight tonight and continue until 4 pm Saturday, February 27th.  Rainfall is anticipated to be up to 3 inches with the possibility of Thunderstorms that may produce rainfall at a rate greater than 1/2 inch per hour.

DEBRIS BASINS    The County Department of Public Works has many of the debris basis fully cleared and at 100% available capacity.   They believe that others that are not yet at 100% capacity have been cleared to the greatest extent possible and they believe the basis will have adequate capacity to accommodate this particular storm event.

ROAD CLOSURES    There are no new road closures expected for Altadena, except the existing closure at the Chaney Trail Gate.

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS    There are no announced nor anticipated evacuations for Altadena at this point, except that Millard Campground remains closed.  There are mandatory evacuation orders for portions of La Canada and La Crescenta.  A total of 244 residences will be under mandatory evacuation orders in those communities, with 85 of these in La Crescenta and the remainder in La Canada.   The mandatory evacuation order in these areas well begin at 4 pm today with evacuation completed by 6 pm.  All of the agencies are asking for mandatory evacuation orders to be honored for the protection of the residents and for the protection of all emergency responders.

INCIDENT COMMAND POSTS    are being set up today.  Los Angeles County Fire will set up a Command Post at Camp 2 by 3 pm and the Fire Department will have augmented staffing to respond if issues arise.  Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will have a Command Post set up at Descanso Gardens by 3 pm today and will also have augmented staffing in the area to respond to issues, conduct the evacuation and to protect the evacuated areas.  The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works will also be working in the evacuation areas and will continue to monitor all of the debris basins and intakes 24 hours per day.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION    is available at www.dpwcare.org and information on anticipated rainfall, flooding, mud and debris flows is available here:  http://dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/forecast/file/mud4cast.pdf

As always, stay safe and don’t forget to attend tomorrow’s Neighborhood Watch Conference at Loma Alta Park to learn more about ways you can protect yourself and your family.

Carolyn

 

Storm Alert

From Carolyn Seitz:

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works has released information on the storm expected to arrive in our area around 6 pm Friday, February 19.

The National Weather Service is predicting rainfall of 1 to 2 inches in the foothill areas between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, with a slight chance of thunderstorms Friday night and early Saturday morning that may produce higher rainfall amounts.

 The mud and debris flow alert reminds us all that we should anticipate that mud and debris may flow down the canyons below the burn areas, in the watercourses and streams. In Altadena, it means that there is still a potential for impact on Canyon Crest.

The County continues to prepare, and will be monitoring the debris basins during the storm, and as many of you are aware, will continue to clean the basins and inlets, before, during and after the storm. There is no evacuation anticipated for Altadena, except that the Millard Campground area remains closed. There are no road closures in Altadena except the existing closure at the Chaney Trail Gate.

As the agencies release updated information, I’ll pass along what is released. If you’re interested in seeing the mud and debris flow predictions – the “mudcast” as it’s being called, you can find the information at this location: http://dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/forecast/file/mud4cast.pdf

 

Incident Update for Altadena Area

At this evening’s conference call with the Incident Commanders, we learned the following things:
During today’s rains, there were no injuries, no damage and no reportable incidents attributable to flooding, mud or debris flows
None of the debris basins breached their capacity today

The Weather Service is indicating that there is another band of showers expected to arrive in the area around 11 pm tonight and it will be followed by a trailing cold front that is expected to produce thunder storms and showers with the potential for rainfall amounts at times up to 2 inches per hour
Today’s rainfall as measured in LaCanada/Flintridge was approximately 0.72 inches today

All debris basins are draining and all inlet structures are being monitored 24/7 and cleared as necessary
Crews from the Department of Public Works will continue to work to clear the mud and debris from the basins and inlet structures through the weekend, or as long as necessary

While there are evacuation orders in place for La Crescenta, LaCanada/Flintridge and Acton, there are none in effect for Altadena except the Millard Canyon Campground
There is still a possibility of additional rainfall on Saturday
There are no further road closures for Altadena, except the one in place at the Chaney Trail gate

The news for today was better than all of the agencies planned and prepared for.

We owe our thanks to Supervisor Antonovich and his staff for making sure that information is being made available to all of us and for making sure that the communication and sharing of information among agencies is working well, and we owe all of the agencies our thanks for being ahead of the incident and for keeping us all safe.

Updated information on the status of the debris basins should be updated around 8 am tomorrow by the Department of Public Works.  You can find that information at www.dpwcare.org.

 

Under the Heading of What????

Driving up Fair Oaks and what do I see while the sky is pouring on us?

 

Rain Rain Rain

My friends bob and Greg on Canyon Crest tell me the water has washed out the hairpin turn and the road is closed.

Here are their pix.

Bill Westphal says we’ve had nearly 2-1/2 inches of water since midnight.