TOPANGA : Residents Warned of Possible Evacuations

Public safety officials were keeping a watchful eye Monday on Topanga Canyon as more rain was predicted for the rest of the week and residents were being warned to be prepared to evacuate.

“The biggest thing for people living in the area is to call the sheriff’s station to find out about road conditions before they travel, and to monitor radio and television just to get a sense of what’s happening,” said Carol Felixson, spokeswoman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The National Weather Service on Monday afternoon issued flash-flood warnings for the canyon for later in the evening. Officials said the situation is particularly hazardous this season because last year’s wildfires denuded hillsides of vegetation, making them more susceptible to falling rocks and mudslides.

As of Monday afternoon, no problems were reported in the canyon, but officials said they were continuing to monitor potential mudslides and areas where large rocks tumble from hillsides and onto roads.

Topanga Creek, at its highest peak so far this season, on Wednesday rose to within seven feet of the road, but the situation appears to have stabilized, said Bill Jonas, assistant deputy director in charge of flood maintenance for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.

Residents who need sandbags can get them at Los Angeles County Fire Station No. 69 at 401 S. Topanga Canyon Blvd., fire officials said. The limit is 25 bags, but more are available if homeowners can show need.

Meanwhile, county flood control officials were keeping a 24-hour guard on a mudslide that threatens a portion of Topanga Canyon Boulevard about a mile north of the Topanga Post Office.

“The slide is constantly moving, but it’s so slow that you can’t see it,” Jonas said. “But any of the stuff that comes off it has been washed away with the stream flow, so it hasn’t gotten any worse.”

The agency plans to meet with Topanga residents at 8 p.m. Jan. 19 at the Topanga Community House, 701 Topanga Canyon Blvd., to seek a solution to that problem.

Anyone who needs information about road conditions should call either the Lost Hills sheriff’s station at (310) 456-6652 or the Malibu Recovery Hotline at (310) 456-9982, Felixson said. The National Weather Service number is (805) 988-6610.

There also is a special hot line for Topanga residents, (310) 455-3000, which provides information during emergencies, Felixson said.

Felixson said residents should make sure that they have clothes and other items packed in case they need to leave their homes on short notice. They would also be wise to keep a few days’ supply of food on hand in case they are cut off from the outside world, she said.

In other storm preparations, the Fire Department has at the ready a swift-water team, trained to rescue people from flood waters, said Jerry Reese, a firefighter specialist for the Fire Department. The team is stationed at Fire Station 70 at Carbon Canyon and Pacific Coast Highway.