Mudslides avoided in foothills north of Los Angeles as rains pass

Oct. 15, 2009 | By Shirley Jahad | KPCC
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Shirley Jahad/KPCC

Homeowners on Ocean View in La Canada try to protect themselves from mudslides. Fire-blackened hillsides rise right next to the houses. Signs are still up thanking firefighters for protecting the neighborhood from the Station Fire, which burned just a few feet from homes like this one.

Homeowners in the foothills north of Los Angeles expressed relief Wednesday. Many worked for several days to protect their homes from possible mudslides. The rains passed. The hillsides stayed put. They hope they get more uneventful days after the next rainfalls, but many are expressing doubts.

Skeet McAuley lives off Ocean View Blvd. in La Canada. Blackened hills sit just above his home. McAuley says the view has changed since the fires. "It used to be green. And now it's black. It's charred. We had a green view. Now its black and muddy."

And he says ultimately he doesn't think the hill will hold. "It’s coming down. Mud. Debris. Its coming down.”

The burn line is not far from his house. He says he saw the flames out his window. "The flames woke me in the middle of the night, it was so bright. That’s how close it was and how hot it was and how bright it was."

After dealing with fire cleanup and mudslide prep, he questions whether he should stay in the neighborhood he loves. "Boy, you asked me that two months ago I would say yes. Now I’m reconsidering. We’re told we have five years of this. These barriers could be here for five years," he says. "The hills could slide for five years until they grow back in. So yeah, I am rethinking this whole thing. "

For now, Skeet McAuley says he is building a new retaining wall around the family home. He hopes to have it in place before the next rainfall.

Along Ocean View Blvd., long concrete blocks called K-rails line the curves in the street. Neighbors helped each other build walls using plywood, pipe, and railroad ties behind houses close to burned hillsides. Now soggy signs are still scattered around the neighborhood thanking firefighters and police for protecting the homes in the area as the Station Fire burned so close.

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