The rain that California was waiting for is finally here but it is going to come with some problems.
Flash Flood Watches are in effect for multiple counties in California until Tuesday evening.
Evacuations were issued for residents as officials believe landslides may be a factor with the heavy rain.
We talked to Santa Barbara County Emergency Management Director Robert Lewin about the precautions the county is taking and the concerns with this rain:
Flash Flood Threat Prompts CA Evacuations
The flash flood threat in Southern California has prompted evacuations due to potential landslides. Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management Director Robert Lewin talks about how the area near the Thomas Fire is of major concern.
Posted by WeatherNation on Monday, January 8, 2018
“The area of the Thomas Fire is of particular concern because it’s so vast,” Lewin says. “With the predicted rainfall that we are about to see, we fully expect there to be debris flows. We are going to see creeks that are normally dry most of the year turn into raging rivers of mud and rock and trees.”
After the storm, Lewin says, “Our goal is to get people home as fast as we can. We know that they’ve been under a lot over the fire and now this, and we need to get them back to their lives. It’s been very difficult for our community.”
Rain is expected to continue through Tuesday.
Watch the full interview with Lewin here: