FEBRUARY 2025
FV-EPC Volume 8 -
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE
THE RAIN THAT FOLLOWS WILDFIRES:
NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF MOVING WATER!
Be Aware of Mudslides and Debris Flows in California
(Embedded Video - August 18, 2023)
A good rule of thumb is: “If you can look uphill from where you are and see a burnt-out area,
you are at risk!”
National Weather Service
FLOOD PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST - American Red Cross
BURN SCARS HAVE AN INCREASED RISK OF FLASH FLOODING & DEBRIS FLOWS - National Weather Service
FLOOD SAFETY SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKIT - Ready.Gov
CONCERN OVER MUDSLIDES & DEBRIS FLOWS - CBS NEWS Los Angeles
THE RAIN THAT FOLLOWS WILDFIRES -
DEBRIS FLOW AND FLOODING -
Los Angeles Regional Fire Safe Council
WHAT IS A DEBRIS FLOW?
USGS - Jan 2017 - (video)
FLOODING - Sand and Sandbags
and Flooding -
Emergency Preparedness Committee
- 2024
WHAT IS A DEBRIS FLOW? - City of Lake Elsinore
Debris flows are mudslides. Because the concentration of sediment is so high, especially when there is a large amount of ash and clay, debris flows behave more like liquid cement than a normal stream of water. They are fast and unpredictable.
This slurry fluid flows downhill at speeds exceeding 35 mph and can flow great distances. A debris flow can pick up and move large boulders, cars, trees, homes and other debris rapidly downhill. Debris flows can also contain a variety of toxic substances.
WARNING: NO ONE CAN STOP A DEBRIS FLOW OR CHANGE ITS PATH. YOU CANNOT OUT RUN A MUDSLIDE OR A DEBRIS FLOW!
THEY ARE TOO FAST AND TOO POWERFUL. YOU WILL END UP BEING PART OF THAT DEBRIS FLOW.
Click on “Firefighters On Your Side” posters shown below to read messaging details.
