Chimney Sweep

Menace of landslides prompts evacuation orders for components of Santa Cruz County

Forecasts of high winds and rain this week prompted officials to issue new evacuation orders for parts of Santa Cruz County on Monday.

Several zones in the Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, Felton, and Santa Cruz Counties fire department counties are affected by the orders. The residents there should be evacuated immediately this week due to a “high potential for dirt flow”. A full list of affected zones can be found here. Find out which zone you are in by clicking here.

The order affects nearly 5,000 people, district officials said.

Temporary evacuation shelters will be set up later Monday at San Lorenzo Valley High School, 7105 Highway 9 in Felton. Scotts Valley Community Center, 360 Kings Village Road in Scotts Valley; and Pacific Elementary School, 50 Ocean Street in Davenport, officials said.

The National Weather Service forecasts strong wind and rain for the whole week, with the largest amount falling from Tuesday evening to Wednesday. Rain between two and three inches is possible on Tuesday evening. Winds will be between 21 to 31 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 48 miles per hour.

Experts have long warned of the dangers of mudslides in the Santa Cruz Mountains that could be triggered by heavy rainfall. The CZU Lightning Complex fire scorched more than 86,500 acres in the past year, removing the slopes of water-absorbing vegetation, leaving only rocks, clay, and ash – loosening the soil and increasing the likelihood of a mudslide. Mud avalanches can be triggered in a short time by intensive outbreaks of precipitation.

Mallory Moench, Chronicle contributor, contributed to this report.

Michael Williams is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: michael.williams@sfchronicle.com

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