Aerial Surprises
By John Wiley
Flying into SBA Wednesday, we discovered there are some surprises in store for anyone who hasn't done so recently. For example, somehow we didn't know how close the fire came to La Conchita and how exposed that slope is in event of heavy rain. Next the Summerland "cliff dwellers" have changed since the fire burned one, one is gone, the "wine cellar" one looks active still, trash is piled at the beach, and there's a new tarp town below the tracks. Last in this batch is a look at Tangerine Falls in a scorched watershed.
4 Comments
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Dec 28, 2017 11:10 AMI put quite a few more pix on SBitZ.NET, including one that shows how surprisingly smoky our air still is even though it looks clear from the ground. Also wider shots of the whole Tangerine Falls and La Conchita watersheds, and details of the "Cliff Dwellers" camp.
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Dec 29, 2017 09:37 AMIs that slump towards the top of the hill above La Conchita from the original slide that devastated them a decade or so ago? Looks like this fire could loosen it up more. Looks big enough to wipe La Conchita off the map if it all lets go. Sure hope something can be done to keep that from happening.
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Dec 29, 2017 12:47 PMThe January 10, 2005 La Conchita landslide information is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_La_Conchita_landslide<br><br>"In 2008, family members of those killed and or who suffered loss of property in the 2005 La Conchita Landslide filed a lawsuit against the La Conchita Ranch Co., located at the top of slope. The Ranch was found 50% negligent because it did not provide for adequate drainage of its orchards during torrential rains and settled the suit. Three years after the 2005 landslide, the owners of an avocado ranch agreed to turn over all 700 acres of their land and other assets to settle the suit."
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Dec 29, 2017 10:42 AMEven with brush on the La Conchita hillside a heavy rain has already shown what can happen, 2xs. There is no rock formation holding back any soil.