In October 2015, mudslides ravaged Kern County highways near our mountain communities, burying some vehicles and sweeping others away with fast-moving water.
Now, over a year later, those involved still can't believe the devastation they saw firsthand.
"I literally thought 'this is it, I'm a goner,'" Beth Tona said. She was driving down Tehachapi Willow Springs Road on her way home from work--just like she does every day--when the mudslides hit.
"You don't realize how precious life is until you feel like you could lose your life."
The slides were brought on by what CalTrans referred to as a "1,000 year rain event"; nearly three and a half inches of rain fell in 45 minutes. The rain fell faster than the soil could soak.
Despite the name, we aren't safe from that sort of unrelenting rainfall--it just means that it's rare. Mudslide conditions are worsened in areas where mudslides have happened before. They're also more likely in areas that have been scorched by wildfires because there's less vegetation to anchor the soil.
For more information on geological hazards associated with wildfires (like mudslides), click here.
CalTrans gave us the following information in regards to their involvement with repair after the 2015 Kern County mudslides, as well as what they've done to prepare for other potential slides.
· "Safety has been and continues to be the number one goal of Caltrans.It’s considered during project selection, design, maintenance and operations."
· "The October 15, 2015 mudslide on State Route 58 was a 1,000 year flood event with 3.49” of rain fall in 45 minutes. The source of the mud was in canyons in some cases several miles from the highway, not specifically within the State of California right of way adjacent to State Route 58."
· "Caltrans prepares, trains, and conduct emergency operations drills for a variety of potential emergency events. For example, earthquakes, fire, and mudslides to name a few. So, yes – we do prepare for a variety of emergency events which include mudslides."
· "Funding for maintenance activities such as clearing culverts is a part of our normal funding process."
· "In case of an unanticipated emergency events, we have protocols in place to authorize and direct emergency funding immediately. Depending on the event, Federal Dollars may also be available."
· "In the case of emergency events, Caltrans is typically one partner agency as a part of an interagency Unified Command Operation. In the case of the SR 58 mudslide, the California Highway Patrol was in command of the Unified Command. The agencies involved vary depending on the event."
· " Specific to the SR 58 Mudslide. We have cleared culverts, restored cut slopes, reestablished flow lines, removed flood debris, constructed two new very large containment dikes to contain a greater volume of flood debris should it happen."
· "We are proactive and prepare for the possibility of a future events if they have a greater chance of occurring based on past experience, for example, a prior flood or fire. I used the Marina Fire adjacent to Highway 395 in Lee Vining as an example of an emergency event that for the sake of safety triggered a project. Following the fire we implemented an emergency project. Although the original fire did not permanently impact the highway, the slope above the highway (outside of the State’s Right of Way) has less vegetation so, the possibility for Rockfall has increased. So, we completed an emergency project to prevent Rockfall on the highway. We undertook similar actions on the SR 58 project through a variety of measures – for example tow new large containment dikes."
