“It is a race against time at this point,” said George Chapjian, director of Glendale’s Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department.
Plans for shoring up the hillsides include building barriers to divert heavy run off and working with the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Forest Service to develop a map of areas that could be susceptible to mudslides.
The Los Angeles County Flood Control District is scheduled to begin excavating material from the Dunsmore debris basin Monday to ensure it can hold the maximum 103,000 cubic yards of material once the rains start, officials said.
Sand bags will be ready for distribution at city fire stations later this week and a video showing residents how to prepare their homes will be broadcast on the city’s TV channel, GTV6.
Officials are also working to guard homes in Glenoaks Canyon following a 60-acre brush fire in August on the hillsides above the Glendale (2) Freeway.
“We have some concerns about homes in that area as well,” city spokesman Ritch Wells said.
Given Glendale’s steep and diverse typography, preparations for El Niño systems are always top priority, but with the swaths of scorched earth now in play, Public Works Director Steve Zurn said the plans were “on steroids.”
City officials were to meet with their state and county counterparts today in La Cañada to discuss the latest round of preparations.
“There’s a lot of coordination that takes place,” Zurn said.
A report on potential soil erosion dangers was expected to be ready in a week as city officials worked to outline cost estimates for the range of flood control measures.
Meanwhile, memories of mudslides and debris flows that struck Glendale hillsides during the torrential rains of 2004-05 have emerged as city and county agencies draft their plans.
The city is still working to repair road and hillside damage caused by those rains, which incurred millions of dollars in repair and litigation costs for the city and federal government.
To keep residents abreast of all that’s being done to prepare for the months ahead, community meetings have been scheduled for 10 a.m. Sept. 26 and 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Center for Spiritual Living, 4845 Dunsmore Ave. Officials from city, county and federal agencies are scheduled to go over the flood control measures at the meetings and answer questions.
Also on Wednesday, the Contractors State License Board announced plans to post signs and speak with residents to protect against possible scams as repairs on post-Station fire damage begins.
JASON WELLS is the city editor. He may be reached at (818) 637-3220 or by e-mail at jason.wells@latimes.com.
