Evacuation warnings issued in Southern California as heavy rain brings threat of mudslides in areas scarred by wildfires

The threat is particularly acute in communities like Altadena and the Palisades, where homes sit precariously on steep slopes.

(CNN) — For the second time this year, Southern Californians are evacuating their homes as heavy rain threatens new destruction in areas still recovering from last month’s devastating wildfires.

Across the region, residents are preparing for what could be its strongest storm in over a year. Coastal areas and valleys may see up to 3 inches of rain through Friday, according to the National Weather Service, with mountainous areas facing up to 6 inches.

Los Angeles County could see the worst of their rainfall between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday but the heaviest rainfall could start as early as the late morning.

Evacuation warnings have been issued for communities near fire-scarred areas, where the risk of flooding and landslides is greatest – a flash flood watch is in effect for such areas in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Thursday night.

Officials have been racing this week to shore up places at risk. Preparations in Los Angeles County include cleaning debris basins, installing concrete barriers and placing sandbags in fire zones to protect storm drains and filter debris. Search-and-rescue teams, deputies and helicopters are on standby to respond if needed.

“I never dreamt in my whole life I would see such utter complete devastation,” John Carr, a Pacific Palisades resident told CNN affiliate KCBS/KCAL, standing outside his home, where sandbags line the driveway.

Like many of his neighbors, Carr has done what he can — clearing debris from gutters and fortifying his property. Still, with fire-scorched hillsides stripped of vegetation, the danger of mudslides and debris flows loom large. “A lot of the houses without vegetation around them, burned off, could slide down the hill very easily,” he said.

The National Weather Service cites a high risk for urban flooding of roads and parking lots during the storm, which is also expected to impact the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California.

Flood watches stretch across most of the state and include Sacramento and San Francisco until Friday night. Significant mountain snowfall is anticipated across the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

Farther north, residents in Portland as well as eastern Oregon and southern Idaho face winter storm warnings through Friday.

Preparations for burn scar areas

Officials in California are working to protect vulnerable areas from the storm’s potential impact. The California Conservation Corps has deployed erosion control measures, such as sock wattles, to trap ash and debris before they contaminate waterways.

“For weeks, we’ve been worried about the possibility of having rain on a fire-impacted area,” Col. Eric Swenson of the Army Corps of Engineers told CNN.

The threat is particularly acute in communities like Altadena and the Palisades, where homes sit precariously on steep slopes. “The biggest concern when you have rain on a fire-impacted area is that the soil can become unstable,” Swenson said. “If you get enough water fast enough, you can cause a separation which causes the slide.”

Operations may be suspended if conditions become unsafe. “If the rain is so bad that we can’t see (or) operate safely, and it endangers our crews, then we’re not going to work,” Swenson said. In the event of a mudslide, California’s rapid-response system — coordinated by state and local agencies — will be activated to protect affected areas.

The devastation from recent wildfires has been particularly severe, with entire neighborhoods reduced to ash. “What makes this fire even worse is just the scope and scale of it,” Swenson said. “The sheer number of homes that were lost, plus the homes left standing within this field of debris, raises concerns for those residents who either have to or want to reoccupy their homes.”

Robert Fenton, the FEMA Region 9 administrator, told CNN the challenges of debris removal in fire-damaged areas as a storm looms. “We actually use wet methods to keep down the dust, so we’re constantly wetting it down,” Fenton said.

“The last time we’ve really seen this at somewhat of this scale is 2017, fires in Santa Rosa. This is at a much greater scale with much more destruction to properties,” Fenton said.

California’s wildfire insurance system is also buckling under mounting pressure. The state Insurance Department announced Tuesday that California’s program providing insurance to high-risk property owners needs an additional $1 billion to cover claims from January’s wildfires, according to the Associated Press. The Eaton and Palisades Fires, which destroyed nearly 17,000 structures, are expected to cost the plan $4 billion.

Meanwhile, private insurers like Allstate have scaled back coverage in California, citing wildfire risks.

Other regions roiled by storms

The rain on the West Coast comes as parts of the eastern US are digging out from back-to-back winter storms this week that also brought severe weather to the Southeast Wednesday.

At least four confirmed tornadoes impacted Mississippi and Alabama. Survey teams will be sent to determine if other tornadoes touched down in the region.

About 20 homes and half a dozen businesses were damaged in Columbia, Mississippi, when winds whipped up a possible tornado Wednesday night, the mayor told CNN affiliate WDAM.

“We’re very fortunate, actually,” Mayor Justin McKenzie said. “It didn’t appear to be a big tornado. We could see it from City Hall and downtown. We’re just blessed we didn’t have any injuries or anything.”

Several roads were temporarily closed and crews worked to quickly restore electricity, McKenzie told WDAM.

“Everything that’s been damaged can be rebuilt,” McKenzie said. “I just can’t commend all the guys that responded enough. They did a phenomenal job.”

In Virginia, where the storm delivered ice and more than a foot of snow Wednesday, more than 300 vehicle crashes were reported, state police said. Nearly 200,000 customers in the state were still without power early Thursday, according to PowerOutage.US.

More than 200 crashes also occurred in neighboring Maryland, according to state police.

One person was killed Wednesday morning in a rollover crash on an exit ramp in Callaway County, Missouri, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, as wintry weather swept across parts of the Midwest. The victim was a young child and was pronounced deceased at the scene, the city of Holts Summit said in a statement.

All winter weather alerts have expired for the central US, and the bulk of the winter weather alerts are expiring for the Great Lakes as the winter storm moves into the interior of the Northeast. Widespread additional snowfall of 2 to 4 inches is expected with isolated parts of New England potentially seeing over 5 inches.

CNN Meteorologist Mary Gilbert and CNN’s Lauren Mascarenhas, Kelly McCleary, Christine Sever and Amanda Musa contributed to this report.

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