Rain Hampers Search Efforts in California (Update Mudslide Kills 4, Traps Others)

washingtonpost.com ^ | Tuesday, January 11, 2005 | Chris T. Nguyen

[crushelits]

At Least 4 Killed, 27 Missing After Mudslide Covers Town

LOS ANGELES -- Scattered rain showers lashed waterlogged Southern California again Tuesday, hampering efforts to find survivors buried by a mudslide in a coastal community and prompting hundreds to flee a mountain town below a rain-swollen reservoir and along rising streams.

The succession of storms that have brought heavy snow to the mountains of Northern California and astonishing amounts of rain in the south was blamed for the deaths of at least 19 people.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday that downtown Los Angeles had recorded its wettest 15 consecutive days on record, with a total of 17 inches of rain falling in the period ending Monday.

The storm was forecast to taper off late Tuesday or early Wednesday and no new system is expected through the coming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. More snow fell in the Sierra Nevada, but the mountains were expected to get a break in the weather this weekend with rising temperatures.

Related Story
Calif. Mudslide Kills 4, Traps Others

[NorCalRepub]

wow.......that Tsunami of a mud slide in Ventura county was incredible........like a quarter of the mountain just came slamming down on those poor folks........

[kingu]

The National Weather Service said Tuesday that downtown Los Angeles had recorded its wettest 15 consecutive days on record, with a total of 17 inches of rain falling in the period ending Monday.

When rainfall totals can be expressed as being in units of feet (1.5 in this case), you know that Los Angeles is going to have a hard time of it.

I'm actually rather pleased, all things considered, at how well the systems handled this downpour. Flood control areas did their job, the freeways were slow but generally open, and much less urban flooding than is typical. Now, if only we can get people to stop building their homes under one of the more unstable hillsides in Southern California, things might actually go even better next time.

[Lekker 1]

Allah up to his antics again

[HOYA97]

My sisters in-laws live in that community that was hit by the mudslide. This is the second time this has happened. The owners of those homes had been told by the state to fix this problem and they fought in court saying the cost was too high. Now they have lost children and loved ones. I wonder if they feel the cost is still too high?

[newfrpr04]

I hope your sister's in-laws are okay.....I really feel for the children. But people keep moving into these areas and rebuilding on unstable hillsides KNOWING that the area is not stable, We go thru this every time/ every year when we have alot of rain or during the fire season. Other insurance companies and Californians have to fund the California Fair Plan - premiums are so low . Why doesn't the state condemn the area for building.

[HOYA97]

My sister is mad as hell that they did not sell after the last mud slide. Now they may never be able to sell as no one is going to buy in this area. You are right, the state should condemn this area. If the homeowners are not willing or able to reinforce the mountain side then they should be allowed to live there.

[HOYA97]

should be allowed

Should NOT be allowed

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"I wonder if they feel the cost is still too high?"

I never understand that logic, either. There are numerous spots around town that need stop lights (not just signs) at the corners. I guess the body count of people killed and injured at those intersections hasn't reached critical mass yet.

[Strategerist]

Oh according to the LA Times the homeowners wanted the county to pay for "terracing" the hillside (sounds enormously expensive and of doubtful utility to me.)

They're therefore blaming the County for the whole thing, laughably.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

Some pictures and video can be found at Ventura County Star.

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

Apparently, they built some sort of retaining wall that turned out to be completely useless against this particular event. They also had some sort of movement/slippage monitoring equipment that didn't help.

[GOP_1900AD]

Trying to stabilize a landslide is difficult. In some cases, no amount of work can stop it. I actually did some geological field work in the area. It is very loose, poorly consolidated material (not even proper to call it rock). There is a fault zone there, everything is broken up real bad. The hill is experiencing an amazing rate of uplift - it may actually be a world record - several inches per year. As sad as this is, I am not at all surprised.

[testone]

I live near this area. The housing costs around here are astronomical. In Ventura, the cheapest 2 bedroom homes are around $450,000. In Carpinteria, which is just up the way towards Santa Barbara, they start around $750,000 for a serious "fixer". Rentals are also ridiculous "crazy money" high.

A lot of the people that I work with can't come in because this slide is blocking the freeway.

These folks probably are living here because they couldn't afford to live anywhere else in the area.

[GOP_1900AD]

Carp has really gone up in price since I first made note of prices there back in the early 80s. I view it as a spill over effect of being near expensive places like Summerland and Montecito. If I were to return to the area (been away since '87) I'd go for Oxnard. That statement would have elicted surprised stares back in the 80s, but the trend is for Oxnard to become another upscale beach community over time. I would also explore Filmore (sp?) and some of the other smaller communities along 126.