Yucaipa is preparing for mudslides and debris flows that could come with rainy weather following the devastation the El Dorado fire wreaked on the slopes above the city last month.
The three members of the City Council who were present for the Monday, Oct. 12, meeting heard a report about the moves city staff members have taken, and what they plan to do.
City engineer Fermin Preciado told the council a report by the Cal Fire Watershed Emergency Response Team says “potentially the highest level of risk since the Thomas fire exists” in the area. The Thomas fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, which started in December 2017, led to mudslides that killed at least 17 people.
The city is focusing efforts on watersheds for Wilson, Spoor and Oak Glen creeks, and a small portion of Wildwood Creek. The main “areas of concern,” Preciado said, are primarily in the North Bench area, in the northeast corner of the city.
So far, staff have been collaborating with county workers, property owners and others, monitoring weather patterns, and inspecting and maintaining drainage courses.
“Many of the drainage improvement projects and flood control projects that have been constructed throughout the city over the years with our partners … they will be beneficial to these downstream properties during the post-fire storm events,” Preciado said.
Staff are implementing staging areas for more efficient response time to potential high-risk areas, looking into purchasing concrete barriers to divert storm flows, and updating on-call contracts for emergency services for grading, excavating and placing barriers.
Staff also suggest the city erect signs warning motorists of possible mud and debris flows in certain areas.
The next step is to purchase additional sandbags, signs and traffic control devices for use during storms.
The estimated cost to initiate the measures is $185,000.
The council could not approve spending the money Monday night because the move would have required at least four votes, which they did not have with council members Denise Allen and Bobby Duncan absent.
City Manager Ray Casey said he could authorize part of the spending until the next meeting, when, hopefully, the council will be able to approve it.
Evacuation orders could be possible for potential flooding in the North Bench during the rainy season, Casey warned.
A community meeting is being planned to share more information with the public.
As of Wednesday, the El Dorado fire burned 22,744 acres and was 95% contained. On Monday, the San Bernardino National Forest noted on Twitter that several trees in inaccessible areas were still burning and sending up smoke, due to hotter, drier and windier conditions. They posed no threat to containment lines, the agency said.
