Atmospheric river storms have caused hundreds of landslides across California this month.
So far the debris has mostly blocked roads and highways and has not harmed communities asBut more rain is in the forecast, increasing the threat.Experts say California has learned important lessons from the Montecito tragedy, and has more tools to pinpoint the hot spots and more basins and nets are in place to capture the falling debris before it hits homes. The recent storms are putting those efforts to the test as climate change produces more severe weather.
"You’d think if the ground is dry it should be able to absorb a lot of water, but when ground becomes too dry, the permeability of the ground actually decreases," he said. As water runs off the hardened soil, moving downward and picking up energy, it can begin carrying soil and debris away, he said. Lancaster warned that the threat of landslides will linger long after the rains have subsided as the water seeps 50 to 100 feet into the soil, dislodging things.Lancaster said California has dramatically increased its efforts to identify hotspots since the Montecito mudslides. His department continually updates its map so local communities are aware and can make decisions, including whether to evacuate an entire community.
Some might also not be big enough to deal with future slides worsened by climate change, Jerolmack said. The organization hired an engineering company to map the canyons and installed debris nets. He said the recent storms put them to the test: One net measuring 25 feet tall filled nearly to capacity.
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