HAVILAH, Calif. (KERO) — It’s been more than a year since the Borel Fire burned nearly 60,000 acres. But the wildfire left both an emotional and physical scar on the community.
“There’s scars on their soul that just, they can never be repaired,” said Karen Zuber, the executive director of KRV Bridge Connection. “Not only did they lose their home, they have the risk of flooding and coming back and destroying all the work that they had done.”
The remaining burn scar still poses an increased risk of flash flooding, debris flow, and mudslides.
“When a fire comes through and the vegetation burns, there’s no longer vegetation to hold the dirt to the ground, which means the flooding is increased,” said Wendy Ward, County Coordinator for the Kern Fire Safe Council.
Brian Ochs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, adds, “What will happen is the soil becomes hydrophobic, which means the water runs off, and it’s easier to get flooding.”
This especially impacts those living below on downstream of the burn scar, with an increased risk for flooding, flash floods, mudflows, and debris flow.
According to the NOAA, it only takes a half inch of rain in less than an hour to cause flash flooding in a burn scar.
Ochs said, "It’s mainly gonna affect Highway 178, and it does get close to Bodfish, Lake Isabella, but looks like the burn scars mainly to the south of those communities.”
This, including Havilah.
While it could take years for the vegetation and soil to fully replenish, Jeremy Ruiz with the Kern County Fire Department says there’s been progress.
“Even driving through the area, you can see how green and lush that area is as opposed to even six months ago,” said Ruiz. “So there has been a lot of regrowth.”
But the risk is still there.
“I don’t think we’re out of the woods just yet,” said Ochs. “I don’t think it’s been a huge amount of change since the fire occurred, since we’ve even seen recent impacts from that.”
It’s important to be prepared before flash flooding and debris flows. You can do this by making an emergency kit, planning evacuation routes, and keeping important papers in a safe, waterproof place. Sandbags can be useful to help divert water flow. In the event of a flood, your best option to escape from a flood may be to climb uphill to safety.
Watch for signs of debris flow:
- Listen and watch for rushing water, mud, and unusual sounds.
- Unusual sounds, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together, might indicate
- moving debris.
- A faint rumbling sound that increases in volume is noticeable as the landslide nears.
- Movement of fences, retaining walls, utility poles, boulders, or trees
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