Yaroslavsky Calls for Task Force to Control Erosion on Hillsides
With the rainy season approaching, Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky called Friday for the creation of a task force to find ways to prevent mudslides that often follow severe fires in mountain and canyon areas.
“When there are fires, we actually have two disasters: the fire and the aftermath,” Yaroslavsky said. “We have spent a lot of time on mitigation of fires, now we have to address the second part.”
After last month’s wind-whipped Calabasas-Malibu wildfire burned more than 13,000 acres between the San Fernando Valley and Pacific Ocean, a storm dropped as much as 6 1/2 inches of rain on the area, causing some erosion on the denuded hillsides.
Membership on the task force would include the U.S. Forest Service and the state Department of Transportation, and the cities of Calabasas and Malibu. Environmental groups would also be represented. Supervisors are to decide Tuesday whether to create it.
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