Water pours over Santa Felicia Dam near Piru, but an official said residents were not in danger because Piru Creek would be able to handle the overflow, which began about 9:30 p.m. Monday. (Anne Cusack / LAT)
Posted on 01/09/2005 6:27:08 AM PST by bd476
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 600 AM PST SUN JAN 9 2005
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN OXNARD HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS INCLUDING THE SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS THIS INCLUDES THE VERDALE...SIMI AND PADUA BURN AREAS
* UNTIL 1000 AM PST
* AT 555 AM PST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADARS INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF HEAVY RAIN WITH SOME EMBEDDED INTENSE SHOWERS PUSHING INTO LOS ANGELES COUNTY. RAINFALL RATES OF ONE HALF INCH TO ONE INCH PER HOUR ARE EXPECTED...WHICH WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING IN THE WARNING AREA. MUDSLIDES...ROCKSLIDES AND DEBRIS FLOW ARE LIKELY...ESPECIALLY IN AND BELOW THE BURN AREAS.
* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MOUNT WILSON AND SANTA CLARITA...MALIBU...AND LAUREL AND COLDWATER CANYONS.
LAT...LON 3406 11869 3408 11854 3415 11850 3416 11825 3402 11813 3392 11801 3400 11785 3406 11776 3420 11771 3438 11767 3437 11777 3449 11814 3477 11885 3429 11859 3421 11863 3416 11879 3406 11895
$$
BRUNO/RORKE
I heard the last part of that....but that is what I said from word one. Everytime I drove past that area I looked and saw those crushed houses from the last slide. And thought, well, I guess the people have no where to go....but to learn that people bought into the area is crazy...
I think they should condemn the entire area, and tell the people tuff doodoo. Or, if the governator wants to make good on his promise, give them mobile homes on government property nearby....maybe a trailer on some of those oil derricks out there....or the moveable island.
http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/~jeff/projects/la_conchita/apcg2001_article/apcg2001_article.html
I think I will post this to its own thread
Just reading the Geological portion of the report is very telling. The whole hillside is sandstone and sea shells.
I thought Arnold's "We'll be back" declaration was irresponsible.
Do you know who actually puts that info on the website? The respondent or some transcriptionist? Dispatch?
Water pours over Santa Felicia Dam near Piru, but an official said residents were not in danger because Piru Creek would be able to handle the overflow, which began about 9:30 p.m. Monday. (Anne Cusack / LAT)
All work at La Conchita has stopped and the workers moved back 150 ft. at the bottom portion of the slide has moved 6ft. since 2:00am.
Incident: 2112 Type: Lane Closure Location: SB I5 AT SR138 Info as of: 1/13/2005 2:30:05 PM ADDITIONAL DETAILS 2:18PM - ****** NOT CLOSED YET ******* WILL ADVS 2:13PM - ***THEN FOR 6 MONTHS 2 OF THE NB 5 LANES WILL BE CHANGED TO SB 2:12PM - ALL SB 5 LANES WILL BE CLOSED FOR 5 DAYS
Multiple locations of mud over track between La Conchita to south and Bates Road to north on Santa Barbara Sub between MP 381 and MP 383.
Multiple locations of mud over track between La Conchita to south and Bates Road to north on Santa Barbara Sub between MP 381 and MP 383
Failed seawall on Santa Barbara Sub at MP 332.1
Slope reconstruction on Santa Barbara Sub at MP 328.3
Slope reconstruction on Santa Barbara Sub at MP 328.3 (Notice Fiber Optic line)
Track buried in mud at road crossing on Santa Barbara Sub at MP 385.2
Santa Barbara Subdivision at MP 386.4
Santa Barbara Subdivision at MP 386.4
Santa Barbara Subdivision at MP 386.2
Santa Barbara Subdivision at MP 386.2
Incident: 3090 Type: Roadway Flooding Location: AVENUE L-8 AT 42ND ST W Zoom Map: 4104 5J Info as of: 1/13/2005 5:19:59 PM
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
5:16PM - FREQ A UNIT TO ASC IF THE RDWY SHOULD BE CLOSE OR HAVE CO RDS SHUT IT DOW--SHE ADVSD CITZ REQ THE RDS BE SHUT DOWN--42ND AND 43RD ST W
5:15PM - IN QUARTZ HILL-FLOODING THE RDWY--CO PUMPING RETENTION BASE,WATER FLOODING THE RDWY
RESPONDING OFFICERS STATUS
5:19PM - CHP Unit Assigned
I saw the news where one female home owner there approached Gov. Arnold nagging him on how terraces should've been created on that hillside so the slide would not have occured and how the money that could've been used for that is now being wasted anyway for the rescue effort.
Why O why are some people unbelievably ignorant of nature and it's awesome powers? With the same amount of rain such terraces would've been washed away too. People want lesser government but when something bad happens they want "government" (some body to blame) to rush in for the rescue even when they stuck their own hands in the proverbial fire.
HA, look at this list:
http://cad.chp.ca.gov/ii.asp?Center=LACC&LogNumber=3032D0113
It's almost comical.
EMINENT LANDSLIDE:
On Wednesday, January 12, 2005, at 1321 hours (1:21 p.m. P.S.T.), two companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, one Battalion Command Officer Team, Emergency Lighting, and one Brush Patrol, under the direction of Battalion Commander Evan Williams, responded to a report of an eminent landslide in the rear of five homes in the 7800 block of West Woodrow Wilson Drive in the Laurel Canyon area. Homeowners living below the unstable hillside met with the first unit on the scene and reported hearing strange noises coming from the ground and the hillside above their homes. Upon further investigation by Firefighters, it was ascertained that what appeared to be a fissure (150’ long, 4’ deep and 1’ wide) was visible above the five mid-slope homes. About fifteen residents were evacuated from the five homes as a safety precaution. Geologists, Grading Inspectors and Building & Safety personnel were called in to inspect the hillside and red tag the homes if necessary. It was determined by Geologists that the homes should be evacuated for a period of at least 2-3 days while the slipping soil settle on the bedrock. No injuries were reported. Geologist and other city agencies remained on the scene to monitor what is perceived to be a dangerous situation.
EMINENT LANDSLIDE:
On Wednesday, January 12, 2005, at 1321 hours (1:21 p.m. P.S.T.), two companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, one Battalion Command Officer Team, Emergency Lighting, and one Brush Patrol, under the direction of Battalion Commander Evan Williams, responded to a report of an eminent landslide in the rear of five homes in the 7800 block of West Woodrow Wilson Drive in the Laurel Canyon area. Homeowners living below the unstable hillside met with the first unit on the scene and reported hearing strange noises coming from the ground and the hillside above their homes. Upon further investigation by Firefighters, it was ascertained that what appeared to be a fissure (150’ long, 4’ deep and 1’ wide) was visible above the five mid-slope homes. About fifteen residents were evacuated from the five homes as a safety precaution. Geologists, Grading Inspectors and Building & Safety personnel were called in to inspect the hillside and red tag the homes if necessary. It was determined by Geologists that the homes should be evacuated for a period of at least 2-3 days while the slipping soil settle on the bedrock. No injuries were reported. Geologist and other city agencies remained on the scene to monitor what is perceived to be a dangerous situation.
http://www.rimoftheworld.net/gallery/image/494
Where does Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake empty out to? If they are indeed full....then the next rain they are going to be releasing....adding to whatever run off is in the creeks down mountain.
And the Sunday forecast is looking like rain....and an INSIDE SLIDER if you read the discussions....although Tawny Twinpeaks won't tell you that.
Saw those on TV. Paul & Colleen had someone posted at the scene. They talked about "new developments" and then showed yesterday afternoon's footage. :) Anything new on it?
Also, whatever happened to that big white boxy house in Glendale?
SOUTHBOUND TRAFFIC IS REDUCED TO 1 LANE 20.2 MI SOUTH OF GORMAN
(LOS ANGELES CO) - DUE TO STORM DAMAGE - MOTORISTS ARE SUBJECT TO 2 HOUR
DELAYS
Cherie Chako has a broken collarbone, a concussion and the memory of being trapped for more than an hour under the mud and debris that killed 10 people this week in the seaside community of La Conchita, Calif.
But to be perfectly honest, she said Thursday from her hospital bed, "if they fixed everything up, I'd be back tomorrow. I know it sounds nutty, but it's a very special place."
Real estate has driven much of California history. La Conchita is no different.
Bargain housing made it possible for residents -- a mix of bohemians, surfers, artists, musicians and retirees -- to live the iconic beach lifestyle of the 1950s and '60s that is now usually out of reach for all but the most well-off Californians.
Ocean views here don't require an inheritance or high-paying 80-hour workweeks. As one homeowner said, people in La Conchita understand there is more to life than work.
"Where else in Southern California can you get a home in the 500s right next to the beach?" asked broker Fred Evans. "Nowhere."
After a 1995 landslide destroyed nine homes in La Conchita, houses weren't just affordable, they were dirt-cheap: a one-bedroom sold for $35,000 in 1997.
When memories of that disaster faded and the real estate market rebounded, La Conchita was still a deal. Agent John Heard has sold eight houses there in the last five years, the first for $175,000 and the last a few months ago for nearly $600,000.
There have been 72 real estate sales in La Conchita since the March 1995 landslide, Ventura County officials said. The town, which had 190 dwellings before Monday's slide, was subdivided in 1924 on land flattened by the Southern Pacific railroad as a catch basin to keep rocks and mud off its tracks.
Sales in La Conchita, particularly in recent years, were for a fraction of the prices in other Southern California beach communities. In Ventura, 15 miles south, a fixer-upper in an iffy neighborhood away from the beach will cost $600,000, and in Santa Barbara, even a modest home costs $1 million. Malibu? Forget it.
Building restrictions put in place for safety after La Conchita's 1995 landslide prevented the community's modest homes from being replaced with coastal mansions. That left intact a unique beach community that included people of modest means and attracted newcomers willing to pay more and more.
"They like the beach and the rural-ness of La Conchita," said Heard. "It's not hurried like Ventura or Santa Barbara. They liked being away from it all but fairly close to civilization."
Banks and mortgage companies also gained confidence in the La Conchita market in the years after the 1995 slide.
"I always heard people talk about three or four different lending zones in La Conchita," depending on how close a house was to the hillside, Heard said. "But I have never been turned down for a loan there."
As Southern California's real estate market surged, a few investors found La Conchita, quickly reselling houses.
"The market was moving very, very rapidly just because of the lack of supply," said real estate agent Harold Powell, "and because buyers were afraid if they didn't buy soon, they might not be able to buy at all."
Last summer, Powell sold a 1,200-square-foot house for $480,000, then sold it again three months later for $560,000.
In almost every sale, the fragile, looming hillside above La Conchita was a worry but not a big enough one to kill the deal. Even now, agents say they are confident that properties will sell again.
"There's always a price-point where concern finally gives way to a really good deal," said Evens, whose office has sold many La Conchita homes in the last decade.
Ross "Skip" Cullins, 31, was one of the first to buy after the 1995 landslide. After renting in town for a year he bought his house in 1997, paying the owner $15,000 cash and assuming a $115,000 mortgage.
Two years after the 1995 landslide, Cullins saw the purchase of his bungalow less as an investment and more as a great place to raise his two children. Before refinancing last year, the landscape contractor had monthly payments of about $1,100. Cullins said the low payments made it easier for him to take the time to volunteer at his son and daughter's school, and coach their sports teams.
Two weeks ago, Cullins said he was thrilled when his house was reappraised at $500,000. It now stands just feet from the edge of the landslide. "It's worth nothing," he said. Still, it would be hard to walk away. Cullins said, and he plans to live there when the hillside is dry.
Cullins and others say La Conchita is more than just affordable housing.
"There is definitely a core of people here who enjoyed their time," he said. "They understood there is more to life than just work."
Chako, 58, was comforted by a teenage neighbor while she and her partner were waiting to be rescued form the ruins of their home. For her, La Conchita began as "something of a curiosity," a spot she often passed driving Highway 101 while a college student.
When she and her partner, Nadine Bunn, 57, quit their jobs as Los Angeles County social workers 25 years ago to open a music store in Santa Barbara, they found they could own a home blocks from the surf in La Conchita for about the price of a Santa Barbara rental.
At that time, she said, no one was talking about the danger from the 600-foot-high cliff that formed the eastern border of the narrow hamlet.
When the 1995 landslide hit, Chako said, she and Bunn stayed because they had a long investment in the town, both financially and emotionally.
"It's a very unusual community right on the water. The beauty was astounding," said Chako. Her faith in the community -- if not the geology -- has only been strengthened in the days since she was pulled from the mud.
"We have so many wonderful friends that have helped us, running the store -- doing everything for us," she said. "They brought me clothes, even offered us housing and cars -- that's the kind of community I'm talking about."
Those who stayed after the 1995 slide, and plan to return to their homes as soon as authorities restore utility services, take a steely view.
"You have to have Viking blood to live there," said Robert Brunner, who's lived in the area for 34 years. He's seen "train disasters, highway disasters, huge waves crossing the freeway. That's just the way it is."
Conan Nolan is on John Ziegler show...saying most of the veteran reporters knew La Conchita would happen again....and for years they sent crews there every time it rained to look for a story.
Guess they just began a new cycle. (Gee and I thought *I* was cynical.)
Two years after the 1995 landslide, Cullins saw the purchase of his bungalow less as an investment and more as a great place to raise his two children.
Jimmie Wallet doesn't feel that way tonight. Or, maybe he does. He says they were ready and Mother Nature took them.
top, 1995, bottom, 2005
Thanks for the link to the article. I remember the road well. My parents owned a place in Big Bear when I was growing up, so we went up and down that route regularly in all seasons.
It is particularly interesting, as I had an ominous dream shortly after 911. It took place in an [imaginary] cabin, just above the Arctic Circle road near its summit. The view faced the lake, and all the way to the other side to the runway. Obviously you can only see as far as the lake in real life, but I was high up on that summit where I could look across the lake to the runway.
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