EWP 2003 Wildfire Response Success Story: San Diego

Practices Work to Protect Homes after Fire

Dealing with the aftermath of the largest fire to ever burn in California proved challenging to government officials at all levels.  The Cedar Fire that threatened 25 communities in San Diego County burned nearly 275,000 acres, taking 14 lives and nearly 2,300 residences.  To complicate matters more, two additional fires burned 102,000 acres in the county.

Like other government agencies within San Diego County, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) responded immediately after the fires in November 2003. NRCS employees evaluated the potential for damage from mud and debris flows and recommended erosion and flood control practices to lessen the damage potential.

 In total, the agency wrote 25 damage survey reports.  NRCS funded 75 percent of the costs for practices in three projects deemed urgent and compelling through its Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) program.  EWP was created by Congress to respond to emergencies caused by natural disasters.  It is designed to help people reduce imminent hazards to life and property caused by fire or other natural disasters.  The cost of the work in the other 22 survey areas was covered through other funding sources.

While conducting surveys across the county, NRCS officials said homeowners with property that bordered burned areas could easily see that they had a potential problem.  "We had homeowners who were grateful not to lose their homes to fire, only then to worry about damage from flood water and debris flows," said Sierra Harris, NRCS biologist for San Diego County.

"Entire watersheds were left completely bare and black by fire," she said.  "The vegetation that had been there to hold soil in place and to slow the rate at which water comes down the slopes was gone."

On follow-up visits in April 2004, Harris said she could see that the healing process had begun.  "This area can heal itself," Harris said.  "We just needed to get some practices in place to protect properties and hold on until nature has a chance to come back on its own."

Providing Assistance

First, NRCS employees looked at the areas most devastated by fire and worked with officials from both the city and county of San Diego to plan practices such as hydroseeding, sediment removal, check dams, k-rails and sandbags barriers.  They all were designed with the same goal in mind – to slow water and the debris and mud it carried with it and divert the flow away from property.

Alice Dillon, a homeowner in Country Estates, said she knew flooding of the creek behind her home could be a problem. "My husband and I knew the watershed behind us was completely burned and that we were in tremendous need," she said.

Jason Smith, NRCS engineer for San Diego County, visited the Dillon’s home after the Cedar Fire and recommended k-rails and sandbags to provide a barrier between the creek and the home.

"Jason’s technical expertise was a big help to us," Dillon said.  "He was our life line."

Dillon said the barrier they constructed along the creek was tested shortly after it was installed.  "We had about an inch and a half of rain.  The water came up to the k-rails, and they did their job."

Dillon said the protection around her home is reassuring.  "I didn’t feel safe from the time the fires started until the k-rails were installed in February."

The city of El Cajon was also impacted by the Cedar Fire.  Kathy Inis, a homeowner in the Harbison Canyon area of El Cajon, said she was shocked that the fire did not destroy her home since it burned all the vegetation behind her house and 23 trees in her front yard.

Rains right after the fires covered her driveway with mud all the way up to her house.  The 16 acres behind her house were then hydroseeded, a practice which NRCS recommended.  "This area was so bare that we recommended hydroseeding to provide some immediate protection to the homes below," Smith said.

Inis said the hydroseeding made an amazing difference.  "I am so appreciative for all of the help we have received," she said.

Contacting Homeowners

NRCS also made a considerable effort to contact individual homeowners about the potential problems facing them.

"We went door-to-door and to the local disaster centers to give people packets of information and to let them know that we could provide technical assistance," said Julie Ammel, NRCS soil conservationist for San Diego County. "We met with at least 100 different homeowners and made recommendations on erosion control practices to seeding mixes."

Ammel said homeowners were appreciative of the assistance.  "Most wanted reassurance that what they were doing on their property was the right thing to do," she said.  "Many also just needed to talk to someone about what had happened because they had lost so much."

Beyond San Diego County

According to U.S. Forest Service statistics, by the time the 14 major wildfires in southern California were extinguished in November 2003, 24 lives were lost, 3,710 homes were destroyed, and 750,043 acres were blackened.

When the fires were out and burned areas were safe to enter, NRCS responded in full force.  The agency detailed additional employees into southern California to respond to the requests for assistance.  "We wanted to immediately provide assistance to people who had lost so much and had the potential to lose even more," said Chuck Bell, NRCS state conservationist for California.  "EWP allows us to help communities avoid the disaster after the disaster by helping heal watersheds and prevent further loss of life and property."

< Back to California Emergency Watershed Program