By Denise Calderon, March 5, 2025
The recent fires in the Los Angeles area have caused mudslides on roads in the Pacific Coast Highway amid a three-day storm the second week of February that brought six inches of rain due to the amount of debris and dirt leftover.
The fires make the hills vulnerable to mudslides because they burn off the protective layer of vegetation that prevents soil from crashing down and causing harm to people, according to the Los Angeles Times. The heat of the fire and the ash also make it more difficult for the soil to absorb the water because it gets clogged with oily substances.
Although no fires have impacted Cal Poly Pomona, they have occurred nearby areas of LA, such as in Altadena, which is only about 30 miles away from CPP, causing concerns for potential mudslides near campus.
“I’m not really worried about mudslides in the area, more like flooding on campus and what that could mean for people who live on campus and how that could greatly impact the community as a whole,” said Heidi Castellanos, a criminology student. “Not to mention what that would mean for attending classes and other activities.”
According to the Los Angeles Times flooding is a serious concern as well because flood damage can also lead to debris flow. Debris flowing is when water quickly flows downhill and takes rocks and branches with it, as opposed to a mudflow, which is when only mud is rushing down with the water. The term “mudslide” is used as a combination of the two.
While the rains and fires have stopped for now, debris can continue to impact residents even two to five years following the fires, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles County prepared for the mudslides by telling residents in affected areas what to expect and how to stay safe during these times. The main tips for people were to stay alert and take preventative measures, such as sheltering in place to avoid the debris and not undermining the power of the landslides, because they can be very destructive to people and the community.
According to CPP’s Emergency Operations Plan the facilities management is responsible for any storm-related emergencies and prevention.
Brian Lake, the Landscape Services manager at CPP, said there are measures his team take to prevent a mudslide or an erosion on campus.
“In the minor erosion runoff during a rain storm, we take note of where those locations have occurred in the past, and we will put out sandbags to slow down the runoff and have the sediment just fall in place there at the sandbag and not wash out into the street or wash out onto a sidewalk,” Lake said.
Lake added there have not been any serious mudslides or erosions during his time at CPP but said the most vulnerable areas during these disasters would be the hills on campus. He also ensured the California vegetation often prevents extreme cases of mudslides during a storm.
However, in the case of an emergency caused by a storm or mudslide did occur, the emergency department on campus has the resources and is prepared to make sure the campus community stays safe, said Arlett Carmona, the Office of Emergency Management manager at CPP.
“A huge component of emergency management is preparedness and mitigation,” Carmona said. “Being able to look at the potential hazards and what is expected here at CPP. Anything that is preparedness, when it comes to mitigation, is a collaborative effort. If I see something in the national weather service briefing, such as an inch of rain every hour for a period of time, we talk to the emergency response team about what recommendations we might have.”
The Office of Emergency Management is responsible for spreading information to multiple departments, such as facilities for the campus to work together and fight the situation that the campus may be facing.
The University Police Department also steps in during emergencies and has its own procedures to keep the campus community safe. UPD Lt. Jose de Jesus Plasencia Jr. discussed the measures his department takes.
“Our police units have a dedicated area throughout their entire shift that has been predetermined, and they are supposed to be doing patrol checks and surveying the area,” Plasencia Jr. said. “Some things that they look at are vulnerability in infrastructure, any assessments of road conditions. On the preventative side, when we see something like that, we report it to facilities, and they clean that stuff up. Sometimes after severe weather events, we will have officers patrolling and surveying.”
Although no precautions are needed at CPP for mudslides at this time, Los Angeles County has already experienced some debris in the last couple of weeks near where the Palisades and Eaton fires left burn scars. The warnings have now been lifted in the affected areas, but according to USA Today, there is still a chance for mudslides to occur, even after the rainfall.
In the case of any extreme emergencies on campus, it is always important to look at the Emergency Operation Plan on CPP’s website to stay informed on what to do in the case of an emergency, like a big storm or mudslides. As well as following their Instagram page, cppbroncoready, for live updates and more information on how to stay safe in emergency situations.
Featured image courtesy of Darren Loo