Fire-scarred San Diego County braces for mudslides

LA JOLLA INDIAN RESERVATION -- With rain clouds gathering nearby, key officials in the post-fire recovery efforts for Southern California said Saturday that they’re racing to take steps to prevent erosion and mudslides.

The Witch, Poomacha and Rice fires that struck northern San Diego County last month scorched steep hillsides and hilltops, increasing the chances that rain will create muddy runoff that could endanger homes and clog streams and culverts, officials said.

The Cedar and Paradise fires that struck the region in 2003 destroyed more homes than the recent fires did, but they didn’t burn as much acreage on steep gradients, said Bill Peters, an official with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and spokesman for the Burned Area Emergency Response teams.

As a result, San Diego County did not suffer the mudslides that occurred elsewhere in Southern California after the 2003 fires, including the slide that killed five people in the San Bernardino Mountains two months after the fires.

This time could be different, Peters said.

“Look at that,” he said, pointing to scorched land on a ridge on the foothills of Palomar Mountain. “The fire has killed the root systems. It’s like moonscape. When rain hits it, it’s going to come straight down.”

State and federal agencies are addressing that threat by combing the burned area, mapping a combined strategy that involves removing debris, placing barriers at key spots and then reseeding much of the scorched earth, possibly with crop duster-like aircraft.

At a morning news conference, Lee Rosenberg, an official with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he is confident that state and federal agencies have enough equipment and personnel. He turned aside a semi-serious question about whether residents should call the White House.

“Right now we have enough to get a good start,” Rosenberg said.

By early this week, Rosenberg said, a battle plan should be in place. Thousands of so-called New Jersey barriers, the concrete blockades often used on freeways, are ready to be distributed to prevent runoff from cascading downhill.

“As the rainy season approaches, protecting those living near and below the burn areas from flooding and mudflows is a priority,” said Henry Renteria, director of the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Among those considered most at risk from mudflows are residents of the La Jolla Indian Reservation, 60 miles northeast of San Diego. More than 90% of the tribe’s 9,400-acre reservation was burned; 59 of 180 dwellings were destroyed.

The tribe is developing an early-warning system for residents whose homes nestle up against the mountain.

“If we get hit [with rain] right away, we’re going to need an evacuation plan,” said Fred Nelson, the tribe’s treasurer. “We’re told that we may need to get out of our homes in 15 minutes.”

Thirty-three tribe members are still in temporary housing, some in motels as far away as Palm Springs. FEMA is bringing mobile homes to March Air Reserve Base in Riverside that might be used on the La Jolla and Rincon reservations.

The fire also is a setback to the La Jolla tribe’s plan to find a partner to open a casino and hotel on the reservation. Of 18 tribes in San Diego County, the isolated La Jolla tribe is one of nine that does not have a gaming facility.

“We had hoped to bring people here because of the beauty of our mountain,” Nelson said. “But now that’s gone.”

After being criticized for its response to Hurricane Katrina, FEMA appears determined not to suffer a repeat. FEMA bosses ordered Mike Parker, an official in the Kansas City regional office, to be the onsite coordinator for assistance on tribal lands.

“We’re here for the long haul,” said Parker.

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tony.perry@latimes.com