Originally posted by hahn23:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by jomari:
Richard, I'm glad that you have fared okay through this disaster. A double whammy would be too cruel. Is there much overlap in destruction between the fires and the flood? |
Not sure how much of a factor it was in this case, but wildfires are major contributors to later flooding and landslides if the ground can't be stabilized by new vegetation prior to the rains. I've heard that environmental remediation has started in the area of the Rim fire (near Yosemite) even before the fire is completely contained. |
Yes, recent wildfires have been the sites of big mudslides. In a hot fire, the substantial amount of tree sap vaporizes and settles back on the ground as a sort of sealant coating, impenetrable to water. Rainwater runs off, rather than soaks in.... |
After a Fire, Before a Flood
Originally posted by linked article:
As the 138,000-acre Silver Fire was still smoldering in New Mexico in June 2013, forest restoration specialists were already on the job. They needed to figure out where to focus emergency restoration efforts, so they analyzed maps to determine where the fire had destroyed vegetation and exposed the soil.
The Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team of the U.S. Forest Service goes into the woods as soon as the flames die down. Their job is to help protect reservoirs, watersheds, and infrastructure from floods and erosion in the wake of the fire. And Landsat satellites, built by NASA and operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, help guide those crews to the forested areas needing attention. |
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