Southern California was preparing for some long-awaited rain this weekend, bringing some respite after enormous wildfires have raged for weeks, but with the potential to cause mudslides, flooding and toxic ash runoff.
Rain is forecast for much of Los Angeles from Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service said. It said there was a “5-10%” chance of significant debris in burn scars, but officials have begun preparations for potential debris flows.
The forecast precipitation comes as Donald Trump is set to visit California later on Friday to tour areas hit by the lethal wildfires. Trump has falsely claimed that California’s water policies have contributed to the damage and he has vented about the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, in highly politicized statements during one of the worst natural disasters in US history.
Karen Bass, the mayor of Los Angeles, issued an executive order earlier this week to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides, install barriers and reinforce roads ahead of the possible weekend rain, which could create mud and debris flows.
While the risk of major mudslides or debris flows is low, Newsom said the state was preparing for the potential impact.
“Even before we saw rain on the horizon in Los Angeles, I directed my departments and agencies to act fast to protect neighborhoods from potentially hazardous debris flows,” Newsom said.
“By stationing resources and staff in key locations, we can help make a difference as we transition from fire response to storm preparedness.”
In January 2018 mudslides in Montecito, north-west of LA, killed 23 people, after heavy rains followed wildfires in the area.
Trump was due to fly in to California on Friday after visiting areas of North Carolina hit by Hurricane Helene last year, in his first presidential trip since his inauguration on Monday.
Earlier this week Trump said: “We’re going to take care of Los Angeles,” but in an interview with Sean Hannity on Wednesday he suggested his administration could withhold aid to stricken areas, citing a false claim about California’s water policies. He has also returned this week to political themes he took up over North Carolina at the time of the disaster there, having accused the Biden administration of being selective with aid after the hurricane because many affected were Republican voters.
The president has falsely insisted that California water policies, specifically fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state, contributed to hydrants running dry in the Los Angeles area.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let the water run down,” Trump told Hannity.
The White House has asked California congressional members, including Democrats, to hold a roundtable at an airplane hangar in Santa Monica during Trump’s visit, Associated Press reported.
Trump has suggested using federal disaster assistance as a bargaining chip during unrelated legislative negotiations over government borrowing, or as leverage to persuade California to change its water policies.
As LA readied itself for rain, the San Diego fire department warned that a fire near the US-Mexico border had increased to 800 acres in size. On Thursday night officials said the fire was 0% contained, and people in the Otay wilderness area, south-east of San Diego, were under an evacuation order.
