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Winter storms in the first week of February 2024 brought heavy rains and strong winds to the City of La Habra Heights and much of California.
The La Habra Heights Emergency Operating Center at City Hall was activated to coordinate local response to the heavy rains. Storm runoff was so severe that Hacienda Road became a river of mud and debris flooding this key route through the community. The City’s Fire and Sheriff’s Departments, public works staff, as well as private contractors hired by the City, were very busy during the storms responding to dozens of incidents involving rock and mud slides, tree collapses, street flooding and road closures.
Hacienda Road was closed the longest due to concern with the stability of the hillside.
In the days following the storm, city forces, including the traffic engineer, building official and soils engineer have been assessing hillside conditions and longer-term damage that may have been caused to local infrastructure and arranging for necessary road repairs.
Several areas are considered at potential risk of urban/flash flooding in La Habra Heights, according to the City’s Multi-Hazard Functional Plan. These areas include:
· Las Palomas Drive
· El Cajonita Drive
· Benik Road
· Valle Drive
· Hacienda Boulevard
The geologic history and terrain characteristics of La Habra Heights resulted in numerous valleys and other areas where water may pose localized flood hazards. Further, the City has only limited infrastructure designed to efficiently contain floodwaters.
Prior to the storms of February 2024, La Habra Heights was impacted by heavy El Nino rains, particularly during February 1998. The period saw some 13.68 inches of rainfall in downtown Los Angeles that month — almost a year’s worth of rain. At that time, streets and flood control channels were at or above capacity. However, there was only sporadic flooding impacting homes with minimal monetary loss. It was the wettest February since records for the L.A. area began being kept more than 130 years ago, according to climatologists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Today, portions of the community remain prone to urban/flash flooding due to rock and debris accumulation in storm drains, flood control channels and basins, as well as inadequate culverts and drainage systems. Homes and other structures built in drainage channels when development in the area was controlled by the county before incorporation of the city in 1978 are susceptible to flooding. A number of areas are susceptible to mud slides as a result of ground saturation following prolonged or heavy rains.
In some cases, localized flooding in La Habra Heights may be compounded by property owners who may not clear debris from the natural drainage channels running through their properties before a big storm.
The heavy rains that caused extensive flooding and mud flows raised concerns for many in the La Habra Heights community. Fortunately, swift action by public and private resources coordinated by the City was able to mitigate damage and facilitate cleanup of storm debris.
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