Southern California braces for destructive winds, flash flooding

Southern California is being hit by a powerful and infrequent October storm which has caused heavy rainfall and strong winds which have resulted into forced evacuation and general panic over flash floods and mudslides especially in some of the recent wildfire burnt areas.

The National Weather Service has now placed a flash flood warning in Los Angeles County and other regions of the vicinity and it is effective from Monday night until Tuesday afternoon, October 14.

Meteorologists caution the system may be accompanied by heavy precipitation, destructive winds up to 60 mph and even the possibility of isolated tornadoes.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass stated, “We are hoping that the system will not be as bad.. But of course we want to be extremely prepared.”

The most concerning issue is for communities that lie beneath the burnt slopes of the latest wildfires such as the Palisades and Eaton fire burn scars.

The soil has no vegetation to retain it, and thus the landscapes are highly prone to hazardous debris flows.

About 115 homes in Pacific Palisades and Mandeville Canyon neighborhoods have been given mandatory evacuation orders.

State and local emergency services, in turn, have already mobilized their resources, such as urban search and rescue teams and high-water vehicles.

Innovations to be followed include staying in from unnecessary travel, heeding all evacuation warnings and staying home as the storm peaks in strength overnight and into Tuesday, October 14.