(KGTV) — As the fires in Los Angeles continue, Gov. Newsom says the risks of mudslides are high. He issued an executive order over the weekend to try to prevent them and remove debris as fast as possible.
ABC 10 News Anchor Aaron Dickens went to Mission Hills in San Diego County. There was a mudslide last winter. He spoke with an expert who says this type of mudslide could happen on a much larger scale in Los Angeles.
"The mudslide potential in LA following these wildfires is significant and it is life-threatening in some areas," said Dr. Pat Abbott.
Abbott is a geology professor at San Diego State. He met Aaron in Mission Hills, near where the mudslide happened last year.
"What we see during the rainy intervals. Hillsides slip and fail. That is what we saw here in San Diego last year," said Abbott.
You can see the hillside has lots of trees, brush and roots which hold the soil in place. But in LA, the plants in the path of the fire are now gone.
"Those steep mountain slopes that we see burning down, with those plants killed and those roots gone and we may have heavy rain. It could cause overpowering mud flows, killer mud flows," he added.
Abbot says that is what happened in Montecito in 2018, after the Thomas fire. 23 people died in the mudslides.
"All we need once the fires are out, are heavy rains to saturate those soils. The problem is going to be much worse," he added.
