scholarly journals Emergency assessment of post-fire debris-flow hazards for the 2013 Mountain fire, southern California

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis M. Staley ◽  
Joseph E. Gartner ◽  
Greg M. Smoczyk ◽  
Ryan R. Reeves
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Fire Debris

EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT OF POST FIRE DEBRIS FLOW AND FLOODING HAZARDS, 2015 VALLEY AND BUTTE FIRES, CALIFORNIA

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick K. Brand ◽  
◽  
David L. Longstreth ◽  
Jeremy T. Lancaster ◽  
William R. Short
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Flooding Hazards ◽  
Fire Debris

DISTINGUISHING POST-FIRE DEBRIS FLOW EROSIONAL AND DEPOSITIONAL ZONES IN A BURNED WATERSHED

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis K. Rengers ◽  
◽  
Jason W. Kean ◽  
Dennis M. Staley ◽  
Luke McGuire
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Fire Debris

Observations and Analyses of the 9 January 2018 Debris-Flow Disaster, Santa Barbara County, California

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-27
Author(s):  
Jeremy T. Lancaster ◽  
Brian J. Swanson ◽  
Stefani G. Lukashov ◽  
Nina S. Oakley ◽  
Jacob B. Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Extreme Rainfall ◽  
Atmospheric Conditions ◽  
Santa Barbara ◽  
Debris Removal ◽  
Fire Debris ◽  
Santa Barbara County ◽  
Coastal Land

ABSTRACT The post–Thomas Fire debris flows of 9 January 2018 killed 23 people, damaged 558 structures, and caused severe damage to infrastructure in Montecito and Carpinteria, CA. U.S. Highway 101 was closed for 13 days, significantly impacting transportation and commerce in the region. A narrow cold frontal rain band generated extreme rainfall rates within the western burn area, triggering runoff-driven debris flows that inundated 5.6 km2 of coastal land in eastern Santa Barbara County. Collectively, this series of debris flows is comparable in magnitude to the largest documented post-fire debris flows in the state and cost over a billion dollars in debris removal and damages to homes and infrastructure. This study summarizes observations and analyses on the extent and magnitude of inundation areas, debris-flow velocity and volume, and sources of debris-flow material on the south flank of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Additionally, we describe the atmospheric conditions that generated intense rainfall and use precipitation data to compare debris-flow source areas with spatially associated peak 15 minute rainfall amounts. We then couple the physical characterization of the event with a compilation of debris-flow damages to summarize economic impacts.

scholarly journals Inundation, flow dynamics, and damage in the 9 January 2018 Montecito debris-flow event, California, USA: Opportunities and challenges for post-wildfire risk assessment

Geosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 1140-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Kean ◽  
D.M. Staley ◽  
J.T. Lancaster ◽  
F.K. Rengers ◽  
B.J. Swanson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Flow Dynamics ◽  
Dynamic Constraints ◽  
Fire Debris ◽  
Velocity Information ◽  
Intense Burst ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

Abstract Shortly before the beginning of the 2017–2018 winter rainy season, one of the largest fires in California (USA) history (Thomas fire) substantially increased the susceptibility of steep slopes in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to debris flows. On 9 January 2018, before the fire was fully contained, an intense burst of rain fell on the portion of the burn area above Montecito, California. The rainfall and associated runoff triggered a series of debris flows that mobilized ∼680,000 m3 of sediment (including boulders >6 m in diameter) at velocities up to 4 m/s down coalescing urbanized alluvial fans. The resulting destruction (including 23 fatalities, at least 167 injuries, and 408 damaged homes) underscores the need for improved understanding of debris-flow runout in the built environment, and the need for a comprehensive framework to assess the potential loss from debris flows following wildfire. We present observations of the inundation, debris-flow dynamics, and damage from the event. The data include field measurements of flow depth and deposit characteristics made within the first 12 days after the event (before ephemeral features of the deposits were lost to recovery operations); an inventory of building damage; estimates of flow velocity; information on flow timing; soil-hydrologic properties; and post-event imagery and lidar. Together, these data provide rare spatial and dynamic constraints for testing debris-flow runout models, which are needed for advancing post-fire debris-flow hazard assessments. Our analysis also outlines a framework for translating the results of these models into estimates of economic loss based on an adaptation of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazus model for tsunamis.

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