One year after the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, California, efforts continue to address hazards from wildfire impacts. The California Geological Survey’s Burned Watershed Geohazards Program monitors affected areas since vegetation loss increases vulnerability to flash floods and debris flows, partnering with various agencies to enhance community safety.
Tag: landslide
CGS Geologists Assess Multiple Fire Burn Areas for Landslide Potential: 10-1-20 Update
Wildfires are a disaster that can spawn yet another disaster. Fire eliminates ground covering on slopes, exposing the soil underneath and making it more susceptible to debris flows. Such events can be catastrophic, as was the case in Montecito (Santa Barbara County) in 2018. David Longstreth, senior engineering geologist in California Geological Survey’s (CGS) Forest and Watershed Geology program, is one…
Citizen Scientists: Help CGS Map Landslides
See a landslide? Think C-A landslide, as in CAlandslide@conservation.ca.gov.
The California Geological Survey (CGS) is asking for the public’s help in pinpointing landslides which occur in many flavors: rockfalls, rock avalanches, and debris flow–in the state.
Fire and Rain … and Debris Flows
Fire and Rain … and Debris Flows That’s what happened last January in Santa Barbara County. One of California’s largest wildfires, the Thomas Fire, was nearly 100 percent contained after five weeks. Two people died and more than 1,000 structures burned. Flames torched 281,893 acres. Then a band of thunderstorms arrived the morning of January…