The San Bernardino County Sun from San Bernardino, California • Page 91

-1 i 1 v-. 'ft- r. 1k 5 ft1TifflMMrmfc1J Debris filled Harrison Basin with each storm and crews worked to empty the basin as soon as the rain stopped. inside the garages were pushed up near the rafters by the mud. Autos and motorhomes that had been left in the streets were swept downstream and mired to the doortops in mud.

In all, 31 houses were damaged in varying degrees by the mudslida That morning elected officials joined firemen and police at the scene, surveying it in disbelief. San Bernardino Mayor W.R. Holcomb and Fifth District County Supervisor Bob Hammock immediately proclaimed the area a disaster and requested that the state do the same But Gov. Brown was away campaigning and his aides insisted that the state declaration would not benefit the residents. As it turned out it took more rains and another severe mudslide before California officials declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County.

As the officials made the trek from one end of the street to the other, they heard residents' complaints. Holcomb, concerned about the criticisms and allegations directed at both city and county agencies, scheduled a meeting that noon on the mud-choked street Gathering with the areas's residents beside a pleasure boat that the flood had swept sideways from its driveway mooring it was, at the time, the neighborhood's most outstanding landmark Holcomb and Hammock promised that a Board of Inquiry would be held to investigate their complaints. Holcomb also urged the residents to form a neighborhood disaster relief committee that could coordinate the recovery effort He made other promises, including one that came back to haunt him in the next several days. He told the residents that by nightfall the city would have a channel cut through the four-toot-deep mud in Hampshire Avenue It took more than two days of round-the-clock work to complete the job. While promising the inquiry, the mayor also urged the residents to concentrate on getting their neighborhood cleaned up as rapidly as (Continued on next page) the county Board of Supervisors for extra money to clean out north San Bernardino debris basins in preparation for winter.

It is still an issue of some dispute whether the Harrison Canyon debris basin was cleaned out, or whether it needed it, or whether the basin's drain pipe was functioning properly. The Forest Service responded to the problem by participating in a reseeding project with several other agencies. Helicopters sprinkled many pounds of hardy Wimmera rye grass seed across the slopes in December. It was hoped that the root systems created by the fast growing grasses would restore some stability to the hillsides. But Mother Nature did not smile on that effort The light rainfall needed to germinate the seeds did not materialize.

The first rain was too heavy and washed much of the seed off the hillsides and into the gullies. Gary Boyle, a VS. Forest Service hydrologist who works for the San Bernardino National Forest, was discouraged by what he saw during a survey of the hillsides after the Jan. 9 storm. He wasnt ready to write the reseeding project off as a failure, but neither was he optimistic.

"From looking at the Harrison Canyon debris basin (which was filled to the brim with mud), I'd say things are pretty he said. Things certainly were. On Jan. 14, all the fears and dire predictions materialized. Through several previous days of rain officials had kept a close eye on the Harrison basin.

They had developed a "worst case" plan that called for the evacuation of some 25 homes should the basin threaten to overflow again. About 530 m. on Jan. 14 mud and water began rushing over the spillway. Debris, including boulders and trees, hurtled down Hampshire Avenue and into homes.

Windows were punched out, front doors ripped off their hinges and sliding glass doors shattered. Firemen called for police assistance in tense voices, describing the situation as life threatening. As the overflow increased, firemen known for nerves of steel under the worst of conditions began screaming at their dispatchers to send help. Many residents had to flee their homes before anyone could reach them to warn of the need to evacuate. Some discovered the flood when they looked out windows to see a torrent of mud streaming through their yards.

They fought it at their front doors, trying to keep it from seeping in. When it looked as if they would lose the battle, they fled, climbing over back fences. Some escaped just moments before the mud battered its way inside their houses. Others were ted to safety by police or firemen, who guided them out their windows and up the street through knee-deep ooze. Still others fled to the rooftops until the torrent subsided enough for them to escape.

As if the Hampshire Avenue problems werent enough, fire and police officers found themselves forced to rescue numerous motorists who insisted on driving into the flooded, muddy areas. A pregnant woman and three children were pulled from a mired car on Harrison Avenue. On 40th Street, just below the overflowing basin, two girls had to be rescued from their compact car when they disregarded warnings and drove into the mud. The force of the mudlow elevated the car's front end and throughout the evening the car's headlights glared skyward, illuminating the raindrops. Despite the chaos, only one person was injured that night.

DeVaughn Petersen, a Hampshire resident, fell in the slippery mud in his house and his arm plunged through a sliding glass door, severely cutting his wrist The next morning, the rain stopped and the evacuees began returning home. They found devastation. Mud had eliminated the demarka-tions between street and yard. The torrent bad raced through the houses, leaving behind deposits of debris three to four feet deep. Furniture was either washed outside through broken windows or floating on top of the muck.

Refrigerators and stoves were toppled. Garage doors were buckled and tools were buried. Cars pag flv9.