Potential flooding in burn scar areas this winter

RECORD-SETTING WILDFIRE SEONASIN CALIFNIORA...AS MORE THAN 2.5MILLION ACRES HAVE BURD.NEKERN COUNTY HAS ALSO SEENSEVERAL WILDFIRES,INCLUDING THE FRENCH FIRE.FIRE OFFICIALS NOW DEALING WITHTHE AFTERMATOFHTHE BLAZE... AS BURN SCARS COVERLANDSCAPES...BRINGING NEW CONCERNS WITH THECHANGING OF THE ASSEONS.23ABCS KYLIE WALKER JOINS US ATTHE LIVE CENTER NOW D ANHAS MORE ON WORRIES AROUNDFLOODING AS RAINY ATWEHERSTARTS TO MAKE IT'S WAY TO KERNCOUNTY.KEELY ALTHOUGH WE ARE EXPECTINGA SIGNIFICT ANSTORM SYSTEM EARLY NEXTWEEK..THE NATIONALWEATHER SERVICE SAYS THAFRT OMOCTOBER TODECEMBER WE WILL LIKELY E SEBELOW-AVERAGE PRECIPITATN IOTOTALS, HOWEVER, THAT DOES NOTME TANHAT WE WILL NOTSEE HEAVY RAINFALL OR E THPOSSIBILITY OF MUDSLIDES."WHERE WE'VE HAD THESE MEGAFIRESTHE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS-THERE'S CERTAINLY SOMEVULNERABILITY TO THAT THISWINTER."TODD ELLSWORTH HAS ABOUT 30YEARS OF EXPERIENCESTUDYING THE AFTERMATH OFWILDFIS.RE"WE GENERALLY COME IN WHEN THEFIRE IS STARTING TO GOOUT.

AND WE START EVALUATING THEBURN MOSC." AITHIS IS WHEN ELLSWORTH AND HISTEAM COME UP WITH A ILSOBURN SEVERITY MAP AND FIND AREASOF RISK THAT COULD BEIMPACTED BY POST-FIRE FLOODINGOR DEBRIS FLS.OWAND WHILE ELLSWORTH ANTHE DBURNED AREA EMERGENCYRESPONSE TEAM SURVEY THEAFTERMATH TO DIFFERENTIATETHE HAZARDOUS AREAS, RANGERSWITH THE FESORT SERVICE ARE OUTON THE LINES FOR INIALTISUPPRESSION EFFORTS..

WHERETHEY WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER TOMONITOR AREASOF CONCERN..AL WATSON A DISTRICT RANGER WITHTHE SEQUOIANATIONAL FOREST SAYS THAT HEAVYRAINFALL COULD LD TOEAFLOODING AND MUDSLIDES IN NYMAAREAS ..

BURN SCAR SPOTSFROM WILDFIRES ARE VERYSENSITIVE TO THIS..

HIG INAREAS OF DECREASED VEGETATION.."WHEN YOU HAVE A H AOTREA LIKETHAT THEN YOU HAVE AHYDROPHOBIC SOIL.

WHICHBASICALLY MEANS A DROP THATLANDS ON THAT SOIL INSTEAD OFBEING ABSORBED IN..

IT ACTLLUARUNS O."FFAND WATSON SAYS THE MORE WATERTHAT REPELS, THE GREATERHE TPROBLEM ..LEADING TO RUNOFF..AND WATSON ADDINGTHE HOTTER THE BURN AREA..

THELONGER IT'LL TAKE THE SOIL TOREGENERATE."IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT..SOMETIMES UP TO A YEAR FOR THATSOIL TO NOTBE HYDROPHOBIC ANYMORE.

SO ITREALLY DEPENDS WHERE IT'S .

ATHOW HOT IT BURNED.

AND THESTEEPNESS OF IT."THIS IS WHY WATSON SAYS THEYRE ACLOSELYMONITORING THE AREA AROUNDWOORFFD HEIGHTS NEARWHERE THE FRENCH FIRE BUEDRNTHIS SUMR.MEAND IF HEAVY RAINFALL COMES,FIRE OFFICIALS ASK THECOMMUNITY TO FOLLOW L ALPROTOCOLS AT THE TIME AS THEYHAVE MADE VARIOUS SEARCH ANDRESCUE EFFORTS IN E THPAST THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRESTATE."ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT MUD ANDDEBRIS FLOW IS THAITTCAN MOVE SOO SOO FAST.

AND WHENPEOPLE THINK THAT THEYWILL HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR ITAND BE ABLE TO GET OUT TO THEIRCAR AND DRIVE AWAY FROM IT, IT'SNOT ALWAYS LIKE THAT."SO AS YOU CAN SEE ITS REALLY ATEAM EFFORT BETWEEN ALOFLOUR LOCAL AND STATE AGENCIESFROM THE NATIONALWEATHER SERVICE TO FORESTRANGERS.

AND OF COURSE,OUR FIREFIGHTERS WHO ARE OUTTHERE FOR BOTHTHE INITIAL RESPONSE TO THEFLAMES TO EVERYTHING TT HAHAPPENS IN THE AFTERMA.

TH