In San Bernardino mountains, residents hit by devastating mudslide fear more to come
Residents living in a mountain community are trying to take care of their most important asset by preparing for the possibility of further mudslides.
The mudslide in San Bernardino Mountains on March 18, 2017, destroyed a neighborhood of about 1,400 people, leaving only about 100 homes standing.
San Bernardino Mountains resident Dan Eubank (left), 57, and other residents inspect damage to one of their homes. Courtesy of Dan Eubank
San Bernardino Mountains resident Dan Eubank, 57, examines some of the damage to his house. Courtesy of Dan Eubank
San Bernardino Mountains resident Dan Eubank, 57, helps his daughter Lillian, 14, move debris from the home where the mudslide took out a portion of the roof. Courtesy of Dan Eubank
Dan Eubank
The mudslide killed at least 18 people, injured more than 100, destroyed homes in the village of Ocotillo and, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, “prevented thousands of others from accessing their homes and businesses, and possibly killed dozens of wildlife species that inhabit the mountain area.”
San Bernardino Mountain communities and residents are “on guard” for potential mudslides and flash flooding that could strike again in the area, said Peter LaVergne, a vice president of the nonprofit San Bernardino Mountain Communities Alliance.
The mudslide in San Bernardino Mountains on March 18, 2017, destroyed a neighborhood of about 1,400 people, leaving only about 100 homes standing.
“It’s time to prepare,” LaVergne said. “While we are still trying to learn what happened, we have to start to prepare for the second impact.”
For years residents have monitored rainfall and snowpack to determine when a storm will hit the area. As the climate warms and shifts away from the rainy season, the likelihood that a storm will hit a mountain community increases.
“We have to prepare for a flood event because we are already living so close to a floodplain,” said Eub
