By Clara Harter
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — A massive amount of rainwater and mud was unleashed onto Pacific Coast Highway on Thursday, sweeping an L.A. Fire Department vehicle off the iconic coastal route and prompting an indefinite road closure roughly from Santa Monica to the Malibu Pier.
The damage comes as L.A. County endures an atmospheric river storm that has brought torrential rainfall and debris flows to a region weary from last month’s devastating firestorms, which also caused prolonged closures of PCH.
At 5 p.m., a member of the Los Angeles Fire Department driving along PCH in Malibu was swept off the roadway and into the ocean by a debris flow down Big Rock Drive, according to LAFD spokesperson Erik Scott. He was able to exit his car and was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, Scott said.
“We ask all residents to avoid driving during the peak of the storm and to exercise extreme caution,” said Scott.
Pacific Coast Highway will remain closed between Chautauqua Boulevard and Carbon Beach Terrace until further notice due to the heavy flooding and mudslides, according to the California Department of Transportation.
The first slides were reported on the highway around 1:30 p.m. Thursday and continued to worsen into the late afternoon and evening as rainfall intensified, Caltrans said. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood alert for Pacific Palisades and a wide swath of the county around 4 p.m.
“There is now a high risk for a life-threatening debris flow,” the weather service said. “Mud, rock and debris flows will have the potential to impact drainages, roads and residences in and directly below the burn area.”
Heavy debris flows were reported at Duke’s Malibu, at PCH and Las Flores Canyon Road. The oceanfront restaurant survived the fire but appeared to be sustaining significant flood damage during the storm as Caltrans crews used heavy machinery to scoop up mud and try to clear the roadway.
While PCH experienced some of the worst damage during Thursday’s downpours, Caltrans crews were also hard at work clearing debris and addressing flooding on streets across the county, a department spokesperson said.
Mudslides and flash floods have been reported in the Eaton fire burn area in Altadena and on Mulholland Drive and Outpost Drive in the Hollywood Hills.
Recently burned areas are especially at risk for landslides in heavy rains as their soil is no longer anchored by verdant vegetation. In addition, heat from fire makes it harder for soil to absorb water, which can leave hillsides vulnerable to erosion. This can result in slopes crashing down in a torrent of mud, rocks and dead branches, imperiling homes or people in their path.
Debris flows can be triggered when rainfall rates exceed 0.5 inches per hour. On Thursday afternoon, the weather service said the L.A. area was likely to experience rain rates from 0.75 inches to 1.25 inches per hour.
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