On Wednesday, evacuation warnings and some mandatory orders were enacted in Sierra Madre near the Eaton Fire burn scar area as a storm is expected to hit Southern California.
The orders went into effect at 7 a.m. and will go until 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the Sierra Madre Police Department.
The storm, which is being forecasted as a Phase 2 storm, is expected to be “similar in intensity to the February 13, 2025 storm and has the potential to trigger significant mudflows and debris movement,” according to the police department.
When the storm hit the area on Feb. 13, it brought flash floods and debris flows.
Officials with the National Weather Service told KNX News’ Jon Baird that the brunt of the storm is likely to happen in the early morning hours Thursday.
Laura Aguilar, Deputy City Manager for Sierra Madre, told Baird that residents need to heed evacuation orders
“This time around we're saying if that if it is not safe to have our public safety enter those active debris flows, they won't be won't be entering those areas,” she said. “And so the residents who choose not to leave are really putting themselves at risk and their safety and their families' safety at risk.”
The following zones in Sierra Madre are under evacuation warnings:
SMD-E011D
SMD-E013A
SMD-E014A
SMD-E015
SMD-E016
The following zones in Sierra Madre are under evacuation orders:
SMD-E001
SMD-E002A
SMD-E002B
SMD-E002C
SMD-E003
SMD-E004
SMD-E005
SMD-E006A
SMD-E006B
SMD-E007
SMD-E008
SMD-E009
SMD-E010A
SMD-E010B
SMD-E011A
SMD-E011C
SMD-E012A
SMD-E012B
SMD-E012C
SMD-E012D
SMD-E013B
SMD-E014B
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Mark Pestrella, director of the Department for Public Works, told L.A.’s Morning News that the department is ready for the storm.
“The storm is going to present an interesting challenge in that it does have the capacity to reach, you know, 1 to 2 inches, 2 to 3 in the mountains, and it has that intensity potential of over half an inch per hour that all of the flood control folks and hydrologists look to as the indicator of potential debris flows,” he said.
He added that 600 employees are working around the clock to keep the debris basins clear.
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