La Cañada Flintridge digs out as a new storm nears

One day after a river of mud brought havoc to a La Cañada Flintridge neighborhood, residents faced a massive cleanup Sunday, with chest-high mounds of muck lining the streets, damaged homes rendered uninhabitable and nearby catch basins filled to capacity with debris.

Authorities lifted evacuation orders that at one point Saturday had affected 500 homes in the fire-ravaged foothill communities of La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge. Forty-three homes in the communities were damaged, and nine were red-tagged, preventing residents from entering until the structures could be stabilized.

The cascade of mud caused roofs to collapse and walls to cave in and filled some homes with dirt and debris from floor to ceiling.

“They’re extremely heavily damaged,” said Bob Spencer, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. “Whether or not they’re savable would have to be determined by engineers, architects and inspectors.”

Meanwhile, more rain was forecast for Tuesday evening, and residents were being advised to remain on alert. Mudflows also damaged at least 25 vehicles. The force of debris streaming down the mountain pushed a 10-ton boulder into the drain of a critical catch basin in La Cañada Flintridge, stopping it up and propelling mud and debristwo miles downhill to Foothill Boulevard. Officials said they were still assessing total damage and cleanup costs. A weeklong series of storms last month cost the county about $20 million to clean up, Spencer said.

Since then, about 300 dump trucks have worked almost continuously, emptying catch basins that quickly filled up again during the latest storm, Spencer said. About 1,000 workers were out Sunday, using bulldozers, plows, dump trucks and cranes to sweep neighborhood streets and clear the debris basins, carting much of the mudto disposal areas in the foothills.

La Cañada Flintridge Mayor Laura Olhasso said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was helping with some cleanup costs, but she said the mud flowed from burned federal lands and therefore the U.S. government should take full responsibility.

Los Angeles County fire officials also canvassed neighborhoods affected by the mudslides and helped residents remove debris blocking driveways and entrances to homes.

“We are just being mindful that there’s a lot of people impacted,” Fire Department Capt. Mark Savage said. “We want to do our best to help residents retrieve necessary belongings from some of the red- and yellow-tagged homes.”

In Paradise Valley, the La Cañada neighborhood that was most severely affected by the storm, county crews worked to clear sewage systems and dig fire hydrants out from under tons of mud. Some residents rented tractors to begin cleaning yards and driveways.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the community and promised to try to help residents return to normal. The governor said he would help expedite federal and state approval for a fourth disposal site for L.A. County.

Near Manistee Drive, Mike Thomassian, 62, used a hose to wash away mud that had seeped into his garage and blanketed his yard and rosebushes. The strength of the mudflow ripped his mailbox from the ground and destroyed his son’s car.

“It was crushed like a soda can,” Thomassian said. “The grass will grow back, and so will the roses. I’m very lucky.”

As crews worked to clear overflowing debris basins, officials warily marked the approach of a storm that could bring up to 2 more inches of rain by late Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

But meteorologist Jamie Meier said the storm does not appear to be as strong as the one that pounded the area over the weekend.

Some officials and homeowners said they were caught off guard by the intensity and duration of Saturday’s downpour.

But Meier said the forecasts were mostly on target, noting that the agency had issued flash-flood watches and warned of the potential for mud and debris flows.

“I think people gained a false sense of security when we had the six days of rain last month and nothing happened,” she said.

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