Mass Evacuation Alert Ordered By Newsom—Fastest ‘Fire Hose’ Storm Hits LA
Story by Ally Webb • 47m
Sheets of rain pounded the charred hills of Pacific Palisades as police cruisers navigated the slick, debris-strewn roads. Just months after January’s wildfires, Los Angeles faced a new threat: an intense atmospheric river storm that arrived before the landscape could recover. Officers knocked on doors of homes flagged as most at risk, warning residents of the looming danger as muddy water surged past newly installed concrete barriers. For many, this was the second evacuation-level alert in less than a year—a stark sign of how climate extremes are reshaping life in Southern California.
Storm Strikes Burned Hills: A Perfect Storm of Hazards
The timing of the storm could hardly have been worse. Recent wildfires had stripped hillsides of vegetation, leaving behind unstable slopes primed for mudslides. The National Weather Service warned that even moderate rainfall could trigger dangerous debris flows, especially on land still healing from fire. The situation was further complicated by a federal government shutdown that had ended only days before, raising concerns about coordination between local, state, and federal agencies. As the storm intensified, Los Angeles faced its first major test of new post-fire resilience measures, including miles of K-rails and reinforced debris basins. The convergence of wildfire scars and heavy rain transformed a routine weather event into a citywide emergency.
Evacuations and Warnings: Communities on Edge
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