Community Meeting

According to Supervisor Michael Antonovich, a community meeting will be held in approximately two months to get community input as to where a new dog park in Crescenta Valley should be and what it should look like.

Community
Information Night

On March 1 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Crescenta Valley High School, the Glendale Unified School District will be conducting a meeting to address the state’s fiscal crisis and its impact on the district.

LA County opens disaster assistance center

Representatives from federal, state and county agencies will be available to help victims of the flood and mudflows. Engineers can help with structural questions and agents will answer questions concerning insurance coverage information. There will also be assistance with how to recover vital records and how to find volunteers to help clean damaged homes.  Some residents and business owners may qualify for a low-interest loan that can help with insurance deductibles. The center is located at Central Christian Church, 5027 New York Ave. in La Crescenta.

Drug and Alcohol
Prevention Coalition

All are invited to the Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition  tonight at 7 p.m. at the Crescenta Valley High School library. The community-based organization discusses critical issues pertaining to drug and alcohol use in the area with an emphasis on education of the problem. The coalition invites and encourages dialogue with community members on the issues our children are facing in the area.

Chicken Pox at CVHS

Crescenta Valley High School has four confirmed cases of chicken pox. Students who have not been immunized should get the vaccine. If students have a fever or rash, they should see a doctor and remain at home. The incubation period for chicken pox is 14-21 days. Any immunocompromised person or pregnant person should confer with a physician. Please inform the school if a case of chicken pox is confirmed.

Federal  reimbursement

Supervisor Michael Antonovich wants the federal government to reimburse Los Angeles County for the $30 million it cost to remove nearly a million cubic yards of mud, rocks and lumber from debris basins adjacent to the Station Fire that help protect neighborhoods in the foothill areas from mudslides during rain storms.

“The U.S. Forest Service’s failure to extinguish the Station Fire in its earliest stage resulted in a catastrophe that is still impacting our County residents and taxpayers,” Antonovich said. “It caused the build up of material in these vital debris basins that must be cleared to prevent flooding and protect life and property.”

By Robin GOLDSWORTHY, Brandon HENSLEY and Mary O’KEEFE

With the sun shining again residents begin to assess mud damage, grateful no lives were lost.

Now that the evacuations have been lifted and the weather, at least through the weekend, looks sunny and clear the task of getting ready for the next storm begins.

“We will be working continually throughout the week and weekend and as long as the sun is shining to clear out roadways and residential areas and to make sure all the debris basins are cleaned out,” said Gary Bozé, spokesman for the Department of Public Works.

Saturday’s rainstorm pelted the area sending mud down local streets and into homes. The devastation that was warned at the many meetings held by public works came to pass.

“We are lucky that no lives were lost,” Bozé said. A large boulder, about the size of a Volkswagen, blocked the Mullally debris basin causing the mud and water to spill over and into the neighborhoods.

“When last I checked [on Tuesday] we had over 900,000 cubic feet of debris,” Bozé said.

That debris is now being trucked to debris landfills in the area. At present public works is using the landfill at Deukmejian Wilderness Park.

“Our director of public works Gail Faber is speaking with Governor [Arnold] Schwarzenegger to see if we can’t speed up the [process] to free up more landfills,” Bozé said.

Public works will also be replacing and reevaluating the K-rails positions.

“We also learned that cars needed to be off the streets. They were used as battering rams. The debris and water gets behind the cars and the cars ram into the K-rails and move them. The K-rails weigh about two tons each,” he added.

Debris filled with trees, boulders and a variety of garbage traveled down streets from the mountains to below Honolulu Avenue. Saturday morning Ocean View Boulevard was a steady river of sludge. Briggs Avenue below Foothill Boulevard also saw debris and water rushing down to Montrose Avenue. But the most severe damage was above Foothill Boulevard in the Paradise Valley area.

—————————

It began with a prediction on Thursday, Feb. 4.

Rain expected Thursday night into Sunday. The rainstorm would drop about a half to one inch of rain in the Crescenta Valley.

“It will be a good soaking,” said Stuart Seto of the National Weather service.

That prediction was adjusted late Thursday as the storm grew in intensity and another storm followed. Indeed the rain came causing burdened debris basins to overflow that in the end left more than 40 homes damaged and nine uninhabitable.

Beginning early on Saturday morning, a flash flood warning for the Station Fire area was in effect, said Curt Kaplan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “In some areas near the Station Fire the rain rate has been three-tenths of an inch in 15 minutes,” he estimated.

As of 4:20 a.m. the National Weather Service had tracked rainfall rates in Malibu as much as an inch an hour. That storm cell came bearing down on Crescenta Valley, maintaining an unexpected intensity.

Foothill residents woke to mud and debris being carried down local streets. The National Weather Service extended its flash flood warning and reported some rates of rainfall estimated at being over one and half inches per hour. Precautionary preparedness actions including advising residents and motorists in and below recently burned areas to “be alert of flash flooding and debris flows which may block roads and culverts.”

In the foothills, mud and debris had already been carried as far south as Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard.

At the top of Ocean View Boulevard, boulders had careened down, smashing into cars and houses. Mud and debris flowed into homes and the powerful current carried automobiles from their driveways.

In the Paradise Valley area of Ocean View, resident Ben Edwards grabbed his video and still cameras to document the flows. He’s heard on camera saying that he barely got out of the way of the rushing water.

Many roads were impassable with sheriffs units being initially dispatched to Ocean View Boulevard and Cross, Los Amigos and Encinitas and Angeles Crest Highway and Harter, all in La Cañada. Though no mandatory evacuations had been issued as of 9 a.m. the units were trying to keep the roads clear for public works.

The evacuation orders covered the same neighborhoods that were ordered to leave during January’s storm. Although last month’s rainstorm did little more than send a few pieces of debris down local streets and fill the debris basins, this storm’s damage was much more severe.

Deputies closed the top of Pine Cone Road in La Crescenta due to the debris that was endangering a residence. The home in the 5600 block butts up against the mountain. The burnt vegetation is an indication just how close the Station Fire came to the home. The entire hillside is barren and, with the rain, had flowed into the driveway and garage.

The city of Glendale closed access to Dunsmore Avenue at Henrietta Avenue to allow public works crews to clean the rocks and other debris that had spilled down from Deukemejian Wilderness Park.

Below Foothill Boulevard, residents in the Montrose Villa complex in the 2800 block of Montrose Avenue heard a loud noise then saw the rush of water early Saturday.

“It looks like the water came up against the wall with [enough force] to knock it down,” said resident Billy Soloman.

Pieces of the cement wall that had once surrounded the pool now littered around the patio area and in the pool.

“Then all this firewood must have been up against the wall on the other side,” he added. Several large pieces of apparent firewood were everywhere including in the pool. There was also debris similar to the mudflow throughout the area.

“When the wall fell and everything went into the pool it created a tidal wave and it went up the wall and down the walkway,” Soloman said.

Los Angeles County Fire Department was called out for two rescues at homes and several people needed to be rescued from vehicles in both La Cañada and La Crescenta.

“We have emergency teams ready and called in others [from various stations] to help,” said Inspector FredStowers.

L.A. County Fire had called in additional hand crews had also been called in to help with the debris and clearing.

A press conference concerning the mudflow and flooding in Crescenta Valley and other areas affected by the Station Fire took place around 5 p.m. Saturday announcing the mandatory evacuation of over 500 homes in the La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge areas, as well as Acton.

“Whenever an evacuation order is given, it is serious,” said L.A. County Fire Chief Michael Freeman. “It is a matter of life and death. We would rather apologize to you because you’re angry and survived than to have be digging through the debris that can become just as hard as concrete looking for someone who chose to stay.”

La Cañada High School was again open as an evacuation center, with accommodations for pets provided on site by the Pasadena Humane Society.

Freeman said 200 additional firefighters had been sent across the areas that needed help. Commander of Sheriff’s Department Arthur Ng said that 90 deputies had also been deployed to ensure safety, and that all stations are on standby.

Officials added that the major debris flow that went down Ocean View Boulevard Saturday morning was expected and that the design of the street was able to hold the debris. Anyone who has not been asked to evacuate was advised to stay home.

But whether or not the debris flow was expected, the destruction was not. La Cañada Mayor Laura Olhasso, after surveying her town’s damage, commented, “Our worst fears were realized. I cannot tell you the devastation you can see…My heart was in the bottom of my stomach.”

Olhasso said 24 properties, including a preschool, were damaged in La Cañada. Nine homes have been red-tagged (meaning unsafe), while four have been yellow-tagged.

At the press conference, Congressman Adam Schiff stressed the importance of keeping everyone safe. “We want to keep it that way,” he said.

Officials noted that the Paradise Valley basin has been badly damaged, and that the California Emergency Management Agency will send in a report next week to see how much aid FEMA will provide.

County Supervisor Michael Antonovich said the situation was “very hard to visualize,” and compared it to the Universal Studios tram tour.

He blamed the U.S. Forest Service for the mudslides and subsequent damage for they way they acted in handling the Station Fire last summer. Antonovich wanted the Forest Service to be a support unit to L.A. County, but they instead played the role of “usurpers.”

“The U.S. Forestry Service policies prevented the Station Fire from being put out immediately because their philosophy is ‘let it burn’ and the County Fire’s philosophy is saving life and property,” he accused.

The brush that burned has allowed for those hills to be prone to sliding during the storms this winter.

Antonovich said the county has specialized helicopters with firefighting equipment, and had a unit in place for the Station Fire, but the Forest Service did not call them. “They wanted to do it on their own, and as a result they helped create this 160,000 acres of devastation which is now causing devastation for the homes along the Foothills,” he said.

The community was greeted with clear skies on Sunday morning as residents and supporters arrived to help with the clean up. Ascending Ocean View Boulevard after passing the sheriff’s barricade, the first thing one noticed was the smell. It was of fresh turned earth, which is fitting considering that everywhere one looked there was dirt, dust and mud carried from the debris basins that overflowed.

Dallas Ross of The Church of Latter-day Saints received a call on Saturday morning that one of the church leaders of his ward needed help. Ross was one of almost 150 members of local LDS Church congregations who helped clean up three devastated La Cañada neighborhoods on Saturday and Sunday.

“We went up to the barricades and parked, then walked into the neighborhoods,” Ross said of the work done on Sunday. “It’s not often we get to leave church early. Our services last about three hours but we cancelled the final two hours.”

They were told that the residents were under a lot of stress and could be short tempered but he found that people were friendly and appreciated their help. He saw that one of the houses had mud that had lifted the garage door up.

“It was so far past the realm of what I thought mud could do,” Ross recalled. For example, he saw mud on the floor at one house. Up close it looked like a smooth dark floor, and he didn’t think it was mud until he stood in it.

“It was not only mud but really thick. I was blown away by how smooth it was.”

Going further north on Ocean View Boulevard into the Paradise Valley section, the devastation was more and more apparent as mounds of dirt had been pushed aside similar to snow drifts created by plows in the winter. But these mounds had tree branches, trash and other debris buried within, a grim reminder of what roared down the boulevard in the early morning hours of Saturday.

“It rumbled like a freight train,” said 18-year Manistee Drive resident Greg Champion. Manistee is one of the hardest hit streets in the area with three houses red tagged as uninhabitable. Champion lives on the north side of the street, which suffered little damage.

Across the street homeowner Pat Anderson, with friends and family, was sifting through her belongings. The front part of her two-story home was destroyed by the rushing mud.

“I didn’t know if I should wait it out or run,” Anderson recalled. She’s lived in the area since 1971, experienced the fire of ’75 and the subsequent flood of ’78. She said that on Saturday morning, having been through this once before, what she heard “was not a good sound.”

After the first flood on Saturday and the collapse of the house, Anderson said that her “hero” arrived, neighbor Steve Brown who lives just below her on Ocean View Boulevard. “He’s my knight in shining armor,” Anderson said. Brown drove quickly up Ocean View, over logs and curbs, to get to her. He got her out of the damaged house and away before the second flood of the morning swept through.

On Sunday, she looked at what remained of her home. Even her car didn’t escape the floodwaters. It was pushed out of her garage, which was closed, and down into the neighbor’s yard below her. That home was also red tagged.

Though her property is devastated, she has no plans to leave. She is the president and CEO of the La Cañada Chamber of Commerce and has built her life in the foothill area.

“This is home – my family and best friends are here,” she said.

Local residents weren’t the only heroes of the day. Steve Brokaw of Malibu arrived early on with food and drink for deputies and anyone who needed something to eat and drink.

“I saw on television what was going on up here and decided to come up,” Brokaw said. He added that after everything the sheriffs did for the Malibu residents during their fires, he wanted to lend a hand in the foothills. He approached Dennis Holmes, manager of Ralphs Market in La Crescenta, asking for help. He quickly got the supplies he wanted.

“He gave me everything I asked for,” Brokaw said. McDonalds in Tujunga and Dominos Pizza also provided food.

Locals were barely dry from the weekend soaking when Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station issued evacuation notices on Monday night via the reverse 911-phone system for homes in La Cañada and La Crescenta. More rain was expected on Tuesday and officials wanted to make sure that no one was going to be injured in the next bout of rain.

The decision to evacuate was made at the executive level by the incident unified command, said Sgt. John Caffrey. The evacuation orders, according to the Los Angeles Public Works website, would be in effect beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9.

“We will begin door to door evacuations at 8 a.m. and would like everyone to be out by then,” Caffrey said.

Another notice was issued concerning parking along the streets of the evacuated neighborhoods. Residents were asked to keep all vehicles and trashcans off the streets to allow debris to flow. The American Red Cross shelter for evacuated residents was established at Holy Redeemer Church in Montrose.

The National Weather Service adjusted its previous weather prediction. “It is more rain than earlier [predicted]. We are now looking at two inches of rain [in the foothills],” said National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto of Tuesday’s weather.

A flash flood watch was issued for the burn areas through Tuesday night. The rainfall rate was expected to be a half an inch to an inch per hour with possible strong thunderstorms that could bring a heavier downpour with high winds and hail.

“The storm has built up a bit of power,” Seto added. “The heaviest rain will be from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night.”

However, residents were spared. According to Nicole Nishida, spokeswoman for the L.A. County Sheriffs Department, “The expected second rain cell that was thought to produce another downpour did not come in as strong as predicted.”

As Wednesday dawned, snow dusted the foothills due to cold temperatures, but heavy rain never hit.

For future information on evacuated residences visit the public work’s website at http://dpw.lacounty.gov and click on latest update C.A.R.E.

Evacuations ordered

By Mary O’KEEFE

Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station has issued evacuation notices via the reverse 911-phone system for homes in La Cañada and La Crescenta. The decision to evacuate was made at the executive level by the incident unified command, said Sgt. John Caffrey.

The evacuation orders, according to the Los Angeles Public Works website, will be in affect beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9.

“We will begin door to door evacuations at 8 a.m. and would like everyone to be out by then,” Caffrey said.

Another notice was issued concerning parking along the streets of the evacuated neighborhoods. Residents were asked to keep all vehicles and trashcans off the streets to allow debris to flow.

The American Red Cross shelter for evacuated residents will be at Holy Redeemer Church in Montrose.

The National Weather Service has adjusted its previous weather predictions. “It is more rain than earlier [predicted].  We are now looking at two inches of rain [in the foothills],” said National Weather Service specialist Stuart Seto.

A flash flood watch has been issued for the burn areas through Tuesday night.  The rainfall rate is expected to be a half an inch to an inch per hour.  The area may experience strong thunderstorms that could bring a heavier downpour with possible high winds and hail.

“The storm has built up a bit of power,” Seto added. “The heaviest rain will be from Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night.”

The weather service has also issued a winter storm warning to begin on Tuesday at noon through 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Snow levels are expected at the Grape Vine level, 4,000 feet and may drop six to 12 inches of snow.  Higher elevations may see up to 16 inches, he said.

Thursday is clear with Friday continuing to have a slight chance of rain.  Seto said the weekend is expected to be sunny and warmer.

For information on evacuated residences visit the public work’s website at  http://dpw.lacounty.gov and click on latest update C.A.R.E.

The County of Los Angeles announced on Tuesday evening that 223 La Crescenta addresses will be under mandatory evacuation as of 9 a.m. tomorrow morning, Wednesday, Jan. 20 in preparation for the worst wave of storms yet expected to hit the foothills area. Below is a list of La Crescenta addresses; for a complete list of Acton, La Crescenta and La Cañada Flintridge addresses affected by the evacuation orders visit the county website at http://dpw.lacounty.gov/care/.

1 3154 Brookhill St
2 3161 Brookhill St
3 5843 Canyonside Rd
4 5848 Canyonside Rd
5 5853 Canyonside Rd
6 5863 Canyonside Rd
7 5866 Canyonside Rd
8 5901 Canyonside Rd
9 5902 Canyonside Rd
10 5905 Canyonside Rd
11 5906 Canyonside Rd
12 5910 Canyonside Rd
13 5911 Canyonside Rd
14 5914 Canyonside Rd
15 5918 Canyonside Rd
16 5919 Canyonside Rd
17 5922 Canyonside Rd
18 5926 Canyonside Rd
19 5930 Canyonside Rd
20 5936 Canyonside Rd
21 6001 Canyonside Rd
22 6002 Canyonside Rd
23 6010 Canyonside Rd
24 6016 Canyonside Rd
25 6020 Canyonside Rd
26 6023 Canyonside Rd
27 6026 Canyonside Rd
28 6034 Canyonside Rd
29 6040 Canyonside Rd
30 6048 Canyonside Rd
31 6065 Canyonside Rd
32 5307 Cortolane Dr
33 5102 Daver Av
34 5105 Daver Av
35 5110 Daver Av
36 5116 Daver Av
37 5121 Daver Av
38 5124 Daver Av
39 5125 Daver Av
40 5830 Edmund Av
41 3132 Frances Av
42 3136 Frances Av
43 3140 Frances Av
44 3141 Frances Av
45 3144 Frances Av
46 5859 Freeman Av
47 5860 Freeman Av
48 5864 Freeman Av
49 5866 Freeman Av
50 5869 Freeman Av
51 5870 Freeman Av
52 5871 Freeman Av
53 5874 Freeman Av
54 5875 Freeman Av
55 5880 Freeman Av
56 3102 Harmony Pl
57 3104 Harmony Pl
58 3106 Harmony Pl
59 3108 Harmony Pl
60 3109 Harmony Pl
61 3110 Harmony Pl
62 3112 Harmony Pl
63 3113 Harmony Pl
64 3117 Harmony Pl
65 3119 Harmony Pl
66 3120 Harmony Pl
67 3123 Harmony Pl
68 3124 Harmony Pl
69 3126 Harmony Pl
70 3128 Harmony Pl
71 3130 Harmony Pl
72 3131 Harmony Pl
73 3137 Harmony Pl
74 3145 Harmony Pl
75 3151 Harmony Pl
76 3153 Harmony Pl
77 3156 Harmony Pl
78 3157 Harmony Pl
79 3165 Harmony Pl
80 3102 Henrietta Av
81 3106 Henrietta Av
82 3114 Henrietta Av
83 3120 Henrietta Av
84 3126 Henrietta Av
85 5801 Irving Av
86 5802 Irving Av
87 5806 Irving Av
88 5807 Irving Av
89 5809 Irving Av
90 5810 Irving Av
91 5814 Irving Av
92 5815 Irving Av
93 5817 Irving Av
94 5818 Irving Av
95 5821 Irving Av
96 5822 Irving Av
97 5825 Irving Av
98 5826 Irving Av
99 5830 Irving Av
100 5831 Irving Av
101 5834 Irving Av
102 5835 Irving Av
103 5838 Irving Av
104 5839 Irving Av
105 5840 Irving Av
106 5843 Irving Av
107 5844 Irving Av
108 5845 Irving Av
109 5850 Irving Av
110 2241 Manzanita St
111 2303 Manzanita St
112 2306 Manzanita St
113 2307 Manzanita St
114 2311 Manzanita St
115 2315 Manzanita St
116 2209 Maurice Av
117 2211 Maurice Av
118 2212 Maurice Av
119 2224 Maurice Av
120 2226 Maurice Av
121 2229 Maurice Av
122 2230 Maurice Av
123 2233 Maurice Av
124 2234 Maurice Av
125 2236 Maurice Av
126 2240 Maurice Av
127 2241 Maurice Av
128 2244 Maurice Av
129 2245 Maurice Av
130 2247 Maurice Av
131 2248 Maurice Av
132 2251 Maurice Av
133 2303 Maurice Av
134 2312 Maurice Av
135 2315 Maurice Av
136 2325 Maurice Av
137 3167 Orange Av
138 5102 Parham Av
139 5107 Parham Av
140 5108 Parham Av
141 5115 Parham Av
142 5116 Parham Av
143 5119 Parham Av
144 5122 Parham Av
145 5123 Parham Av
146 5038 Pennsylvania Av
147 5042 Pennsylvania Av
148 5104 Pennsylvania Av
149 5108 Pennsylvania Av
150 5112 Pennsylvania Av
151 5116 Pennsylvania Av
152 5120 Pennsylvania Av
153 5124 Pennsylvania Av
154 5134 Pennsylvania Av
155 5138 Pennsylvania Av
156 5142 Pennsylvania Av
157 5146 Pennsylvania Av
158 5202 Pennsylvania Av
159 5204 Pennsylvania Av
160 5206 Pennsylvania Av
161 5216 Pennsylvania Av
162 5244 Pennsylvania Av
163 2228 Phyllis St
164 2232 Phyllis St
165 5649 Pinecone Dr
166 5340 Pineglen Rd
167 5404 Pineglen Rd
168 5512 Pineglen Rd
169 5530 Pineglen Rd
170 5533 Pineglen Rd
171 5536 Pineglen Rd
172 5537 Pineglen Rd
173 5542 Pineglen Rd
174 5544 Pineglen Rd
175 5548 Pineglen Rd
176 5603 Pineglen Rd
177 5613 Pineglen Rd
178 5619 Pineglen Rd
179 5627 Pineglen Rd
180 5635 Pineglen Rd
181 2603 Pinelawn Dr
182 2604 Pinelawn Dr
183 2812 Pinelawn Dr
184 2824 Pinelawn Dr
185 2829 Pinelawn Dr
186 2830 Pinelawn Dr
187 2836 Pinelawn Dr
188 2837 Pinelawn Dr
189 2844 Pinelawn Dr
190 2845 Pinelawn Dr
191 2853 Pinelawn Dr
192 2857 Pinelawn Dr
193 2858 Pinelawn Dr
194 2863 Pinelawn Dr
195 2864 Pinelawn Dr
196 2870 Pinelawn Dr
197 5302 Pineridge Dr
198 5305 Pineridge Dr
199 5311 Pineridge Dr
200 2610 Ridgepine Dr
201 2549 Rockdell St
202 5325 Rosemont Av
203 2603 Seapine Ln
204 2604 Seapine Ln
205 2610 Seapine Ln
206 2613 Seapine Ln
207 2616 Seapine Ln
208 2619 Seapine Ln
209 2620 Seapine Ln
210 2623 Seapine Ln
211 2626 Seapine Ln
212 2629 Seapine Ln
213 2632 Seapine Ln
214 2635 Seapine Ln
215 2636 Seapine Ln
216 2642 Seapine Ln
217 2643 Seapine Ln
218 2757 Seapine Ln
219 2701 Starfall
220 2702 Starfall
221 2703 Starfall
222 2601 Willowhaven Dr
223 2604 Willowhaven Dr

By Mary O’Keefe

Three major rain systems, each increasing in intensity are heading toward Southern California.

The first storm is expected to hit Crescenta Valley late Sunday evening into Monday morning  dropping an estimated eight to 16 inches of rain.

“Sixteen inches is the high range of what is [expected] in the foothills and mountain areas,” said Jamie Meier, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The concern for residents is not only the amount of rainfall but the intensity and duration.

“Right now it appears to be a prolonged period of moderate rainfall.  But there is a potential of shorter bursts within that time that may be brief but heavy weather, through Thursday,” Meier said.

Residents, along with Glendale city and Los Angeles County public works and emergency responders have been preparing for flooding and mud slides since this summer’s Station Fire.  Sandbags stand guard around homes and K-rails build temporary walls intended to divert water and mud.

Hillsides remained intact after the last big rain storm hit the area weeks ago but residents are still warned to be ready for anything by officials.

In a released statement, L.A. Supervisor Michael Antonovich encouraged residents to take precautions now in preparation for next week’s storms.

“County Public Works officials will patrol roads to ensure the natural watercourses, roads and bridges are capable of withstanding the rain runoff.  During the storms, catch basins that have screens will be monitored and cleaned should they become clogged,” Antonovich stated.

Glendale officials are ready for the storm as well.  Since the Station Fire, city officials have taken a proactive approach to the potential of flooding and mudslides, said Rich Wells, Glendale spokesman.

City public works officials will be physically and electronically monitoring the hillsides within Duekemejian Wilderness Park. Cameras have been placed inside the park to transmit information to officials in the Emergency Operation Center.

The city and county have provided informational systems through various media including:

L.A. County Department of Public Works hotline (800) 214-4020

or from a cell phone dial 211

City of Glendale website  www.ci.glendale.ca.us

City’s government access channel for Charter Communication subscribers on channel 6 and for AT&T U-Verse subscribers on channel 99.

City’s Community Hotline (818)548-6464

If there is an evacuation of homes within the city of Glendale officials will notify residents by phone via the new Citizen Notification System.  Glendale Water and Power customers can receive time sensitive information. To ensure customers receive the messages they must sign up and register their contact information at www.GlendaleWaterandPower.com Residents are asked to look under the “Citizen Notification” link.

The city’s Parks Department will coordinate a volunteer signup list for members of the community who would like to help should flooding occur.  To volunteer call (818) 548-2782.