Rain raises flood and mudslide concerns

The Soberness fire scorched thousands of acres, taking trees and plants with it, increasing the potential for mudslides when it rains.

“All the vegetation that would normally help all of the water seep down into the earth and so forth, it runs off the ground faster because there’s nothing for it to soak into, the grounds been burnt,” said Roger Gass, National Weather Service Meteorologist.

The National Weather Service said rainfall rates at three-quarters of an inch per hour or greater is when they start to get concerned.

“Really, really, heavy rainfall over a short period of time will typically be the cause to trigger some of those mudslides and or the debris flows,” said Gass.

While they cannot control weather conditions, local agencies are working to stay ahead of the curve for residents who could be affected.

“So that they know ahead of time, so that they can take good actions,” said Dick Bower with the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services. “Whether its to escape and go evacuate or do whatever they need to do to take care of their property.”

The Monterey County Office of Emergency Services is sending out advanced notifications for rainfall and have partnered with community resources to help get the word out for potential hazards in those burn scar areas.

“What we’ve done is put together some pretty good partnerships with folks in that area both with the fire department and the Property Owners Association,” said Bower. “So that we send out the information to as many people as we can get it to. Then they go out into the community and talk with their neighbors to make sure that everybody has that info.”

The National Weather Service is also keeping a watchful eye. They’re alerting multiple agencies about wet weather patterns.

“We typically give them updates ahead of any system that comes through,” said Gass. “Sometimes we even have conference calls if we’re anticipating a big storm system with strong winds or really intense rainfalls.”

Officials recommend residents sign up for Alert Monterey County to receive critical information.