Pacific Palisades and Altadena are still reeling from last month’s devastating and deadly wildfires, but now there is a new concern for area residents: flooding.
More than three inches of rain fell throughout the Los Angeles metropolitan area, according to the National Weather Service, turning communities that were smoldering a month ago into muddy, flooded out messes.
Terrain in the area was severely impacted by the downpours, which triggered a chain reaction of mudslides and debris flows across the Palisades Fire zone and rendered Pacific Coast Highway virtually impassable at some spots; the coastal roadway does remain fully closed to the public between Chautauqua Boulevard and Carbon Beach Terrace.
Vital roads aren’t the only thing being affected by the deluge, as several businesses in the Palisades area, including the well-known Duke’s restaurant, were overwhelmed by mud and debris. Homes that survived the fires are now also at risk, causing more worry for area residents who still have intact residences.
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A Los Angeles Fire Department worker narrowly escaped before his SUV was swept off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and into the ocean during a heavy storm on Feb. 13, 2025. (KNN) -
A Los Angeles Fire Department worker narrowly escaped before his SUV was swept off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and into the ocean during a heavy storm on Feb. 13, 2025. (KNN) -
Bulldozers clear mud and debris from Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Feb. 13, 2025. (KNN) -
A Los Angeles Fire Department worker narrowly escaped before his SUV was swept off Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and into the ocean during a heavy storm on Feb. 13, 2025. (KNN) -
Mud and debris surround Duke’s restaurant in Malibu on Feb. 13, 2025. (OnScene.TV) -
A mudslide on Topanga Canyon Boulevard is seen on Feb. 14, 2025. (KTLA) -
A mudslide on Topanga Canyon Boulevard is seen on Feb. 14, 2025. (KTLA)
“I just have to think about the miracle of the house itself being saved,” Malibu resident Dr. Scott Von said as he was cleaning up flood damage at his seaside home. “All this happening…I can deal with it.”
In the Altadena area, authorities were seen diverting traffic around areas that were most affected by the precipitation while dump trucks and bulldozers worked to clear debris from roadways.
Video footage sent into KTLA shows dangerous mudflows in Sierra Madre near the Eaton Fire burn scars; the rain was so heavy that the Sierra Madre debris basin overflowed for the first time in nearly five decades.
Some residents were more affected by the mudslides than others, but their threat looms large regardless.
“I think there’s always a bit of fear with the uncertainty of the mudslides, and how massive and how strong they can be,” Sierra Madre resident Laura Bruno told KTLA on Saturday morning. “There’s just that underlying anxiety that we are all feeling.”
Standing pools of water and unstable hillsides remain a concern in both the Eaton and Palisades fire zones, as mudslides and debris flows can occur days or even weeks after storms move out of the region.
