THE ANGELS.– The storm that lingered in Southern California for days, unleashing downpours that caused hundreds of landslides, is expected to leave the region after a final downpour on Thursday, but authorities warned of the continued threat of landslides in the hills.
One of the worst storms in Southern California history caused at least 475 mudslides in the Los Angeles area after dumping more than a foot (30 centimeters) of rain in some areas, including the Hollywood Hills.
The weather began to improve on Tuesday, and evacuation orders were lifted in areas prone to flooding and landslides, including a Los Angeles County canyon that was ravaged by a fire in 2022 and left with little or no vegetation to support the ground in place.
Following a forecast of heavy rain late Wednesday afternoon or evening that could dump several more inches of rain, Southern California was expected to begin drying out Thursday in preparation for a sunny weekend.
But after a back-to-back series of atmospheric rivers hit California in less than a week, it doesn’t take much water, mud and eroded rock to wash away the fragile hillsides, experts warned.
“The ground is completely saturated and simply cannot hold any more water,” even if the rains are light, said Tyler Kranz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Fortunately, the collapses have reportedly caused no deaths.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the city is going to help people recover from climate damage. Officials will seek emergency federal funds to help homeless people evacuate shelters and assist owners of damaged homes on hillsides, where insurance companies do not cover losses, she said.
However, it will take time to count the damaged homes, he warned at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
“The slopes are soaked, and some of them are still moving,” Bass said. “So let’s hope there aren’t any more houses damaged, but it’s too early to tell.”
