Mud and debris flow in areas like Sierra Madre could take weeks to fully clean up, residents say

SIERRA MADRE, Calif. (KABC) — A mountain of mud flowed down Woodland Drive in Sierra Madre during this week’s storm, so it’s no surprise the cleanup has been a multi-day undertaking.

Dozens of Cal Fire crews spent Saturday moving the thick, slippery mud off the roads and out of people’s yards and driveways, but they weren’t the only ones grabbing a shovel.

“I had a lot of neighbors step up, I mean, that was amazing,” said Sierra Madre resident Edward Lopez. “When I first started, I was by myself, and when I turned around, my bros and ladies helped me out.”

So much rain fell on the Eaton Fire burn scar area, the debris basin filled and the Sierra Madre dam overflowed, something people living in the area for decades said they’ve never seen.

It created a raging rapid, strong enough to break boards off several driveways over what is normally a calm creek. Farther down the hill, the mud seeped into several homes, including inside Jill Forder’s living room.

“I was in shock,” she said. “We’re coming up from the bridge and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is so much worse than I ever could’ve imagined,’ It was unbelievable.”

Forder evacuated before the rain and found out her home was damaged from a faraway friend who saw a picture of a stalled car near her home circulating the internet.

“I have a friend who lives in Connecticut, and he had seen a picture of the car that was blocking the street, and he sent me the picture and he said, ‘This isn’t looking good,'” she recalled.

The car acted like a dam, so instead of water and mud flowing down the middle of the street, it essentially split in two, with much of it ending up in homes. The flow was so powerful, a locked and bolted door was ripped right open, damaging everything inside below 3 feet.

“All the debris built up under the car, and then the mud got stuck under the car and then started going around and broke the mud fence that has always protected me and my neighbor,” said resident Glenn Brown.

Residents know the damage could’ve been worse, but because there’s so much silt, it’s difficult to fully clean up.

“It’s exhausting, and I’m trying to figure out what methods work the best and the quickest, but it’s really, really exhausting, and I’m not sure I’m doing it right,” said Forder.

It’s been two full days of cleanup – still with no clear picture if their damaged homes will take days or weeks.

“Right now, I’m doing it hourly, and it’s hard,” said Brown.