Threat of mudslides returns to California after devastating fires. How do they work?
With parts of California yet again burned by severe fires, the state is facing a new winter of mudslides.
WHY DO MUDSLIDES HAPPEN SO OFTEN IN CALIFORNIA?
Mudslides have always been at the heart of the peril of living close to the mountains in California. All it can take is an intense amount of rain in a short amount of time to create damaging flows of mud and debris that can kill people and destroy buildings.
Mudslides are a particular risk for people living close to mountains. California's mountains are quite tall, and the elevation drops extremely rapidly as water drains to the sea. The situation has become more dangerous as humans came to inhabit these paths of destruction.
"There's a competition between the growth of the mountains and the erosion from the rainstorms," U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Jason Kean said. "They're in this constant battle."
HOW DO WILDFIRES WORSEN THE MUDSLIDE RISK?
When hills
