Storm prep: Evacuation orders issued for burn scar, mountain communities ahead of possible mudslides
Thousands of people were being told to get out of their homes Thursday as the third storm of the week approached, bringing with it the threat of mudslides and debris flows in communities scarred by recent wildfires.
As the system tracked toward the Coachella Valley, evacuations were ordered in the mountains west of the Morongo reservation, as well as in Oak Glen, northeast Yucaipa, and Mountain Home Village.
Click here for an updating evacuation order/warning map for San Bernardino County.
There is also a Flash Flood Watch that covers all areas west of the Coachella Valley.
The @NWSSanDiego has issued a #flashfloodwatch from 7pm Thursday to 4pm Friday for the #AppleFire & #ElDoradoFire burn scars. Please take steps to prepare your home & family. Limited quantities of unfilled sandbags are available at our fire stations. See graphic for more info. pic.twitter.com/TqXAZumFDe
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) January 28, 2021
According to our First Alert Weather Team, the rain is likely to be heaviest into the overnight hours Thursday into Friday morning.
"The threat is really under the burn zone where all of the debris is going to flow," said Cherry Valley resident Cambria Stockman. "Our road down at the very end is all closed and they're telling people to get out of their houses and it's going to flood."
Stockman's home was threatened by two major wildfires in the last year – and officials are concerned that the burn scar could flood, which could turn loose soil into mudslides, dragging charred brush and debris with them.
"It's been a lot," Cambria siad. "Both the Apple and El Dorado fires threatened our home; they both came really really close to us. So we're just lucky that we still have our home."
Officials were seen Thursday night closing down major thoroughfares as fears of flash flooding mounted. Some residents set up sandbags to divert water from their property. "I have them for an emergency," said Cherry Valley resident David Parton. "I just take them out in my wheelbarrow."
