Burbank on flood watch as area braces for ‘storm of the year’
Heavy rainfall is expected to batter the Southland this week, and authorities in Burbank are preparing for any potential floodwaters and mudflows.
Several streets in the foothill communities will become no-parking zones come Wednesday, when the heaviest of the rainfall is expected. Country Club Drive, east of Via Montana, and Groton Drive, east of Kenneth Road as well as Hamline Place have been designated no-parking zones from Wednesday morning to Friday morning.
Simone McFarland, a spokeswoman for the city, said a voluntary evacuation warning has been issued for the foothills communities and will last from Wednesday evening through Thursday night. The Verdugo Recreation Center at 3201 W. Verdugo Ave. has been designated as an evacuation site.
Pet owners will have to make prior arrangements before evacuating because the center is unable to take animals, she said.
Ahead of the storm, the Burbank Police Department said all park trails in the city will be closed for the duration of the rainfall. The Stough Nature Center and Wildwood Canyon will be closed as well.
Residents living on the hillside that was scorched during the La Tuna Fire last September are also under a flash flood advisory this week, according to authorities.
Stuart Ceto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, said this week’s rain is shaping up to be the “storm of the year,” with the heaviest rainfall expected between Wednesday and Thursday.
“It looks like it will give us the most rainfall this weather season,” he said.
This week, Los Angeles County is expected to see anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of rain. Ceto said the coastal and valley areas will see about 2 to 3 inches, while the mountains and foothills will receive around 5 inches.
Burbank was last hit with a major rainstorm in January, which wreaked havoc on a portion of Country Club Drive that saw a rush of mud flow down the street, which destroyed several vehicles, upended power poles and resulted in a gas leak that wasn’t repaired for several hours. That storm only brought around 2.33 inches of rain.
The mudflow was a result of the Upper Sunset and Deer debris basins above Country Club Drive filling up during the storm, according to McFarland. Work crews with Los Angeles County have been working since then to fully clear out the basins.
She also said debris basins owned by the city are ready to handle this week’s storm and will be continuously monitored by officials.
“We are continuing to look at the basins that are most vulnerable [during storms] and clearing them,” she said. “We’re also constructing additions to the basins to increase their capacity.”
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
