County officials warn of dangers posed by Hurricane Rosa
Riverside County officials today cautioned residents who live in areas recently ravaged by wildfires, including Idyllwild and Lake Elsinore, to prepare for possible mudslides and other impacts resulting from storms spawned by Hurricane Rosa, now approaching Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.
According to the Emergency Management Department, thunderstorms fueled by the cyclone could trigger mud and debris flows around locations where the vegetation was consumed by the Cranston and Holy fires.
“The Holy and Cranston fires left the hillslopes and mountains next to homes in Temescal Valley, Lake Elsinore and Idyllwild scorched with little ability to absorb water,” according to an EMD statement. “This means that scattered thunderstorms can result in debris flows — with little to no warning.”
The National Weather Service stated this morning that Rosa will make landfall in northern Mexico early Monday, “followed by a rapid acceleration across Arizona and toward the Four Corners region.”
The NWS said most of the cyclone’s moisture will be concentrated east
of Southern California, but enough will spill into the region and combine with energy from a low pressure system rotating inland from the northwest that storms of unknown intensity are likely between Monday and Wednesday.
Rain bursts could cause the barren soil in the burn zones to flow downhill into populated areas, county officials said.
The EMD noted that “powerful mixtures of mud, rocks, boulders and trees” might flow into streets, backyards and homes, depending on the speed and mass of the runoff.
The Cranston Fire erupted July 25 near Mountain Center and was contained on Aug. 9, after blackening just over 13,000 acres. The alleged arson blaze destroyed multiple structures and prompted the evacuation of Idyllwild and surrounding communities, along with the closure of state Routes 74 and 243 in the San Bernardino National Forest.
The Holy Fire, which investigators allege was also intentionally set, broke out on Aug. 6 and was fully contained by Sept. 13. An estimated 23,136 acres burned, with several structures destroyed, mostly on the Orange County side of the Cleveland National Forest. Parts of Lake Elsinore and surrounding communities were evacuated at the height of the fire.
According to the EMD, if evacuation orders are given because of flooding or mud flows next week, residents in the affected areas should immediately leave. Alerts will be posted to www.RivCoReady.org/AlertRivCo .
Evacuation warnings, which are advisory but involve recommendations that people take precautions and be prepared to go, generally will be issued 24-48 hours before a storm, officials said.
Evacuation orders will be issued 6-12 hours before impacts.
Riverside County and some municipal fire departments will have sandbags available, in limited quantities, this weekend and next week. More information is available at www.RVCFire.org, or by contacting individual fire stations, officials said.
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