City and county officials from California to the Intermountain West warned residents this week to prepare for fast-moving floods and mudslides in areas stripped of vegetation by recent wildfires, mobilizing sandbag distribution, road closures and targeted evacuations as forecasters signaled an elevated chance of heavy rainfall.

Burn scars — landscapes where intense heat has removed plant life and altered soil properties — can dramatically increase runoff and the likelihood that rains will sweep ash, rocks and trees downhill. Emergency managers describe a compound threat: floodwaters that rise quickly, carry heavy debris and cut off roads, and the public-health consequences that follow when communities lose power, water and access to medical care.

“We’re urging residents in the burn scar zone to prioritize leaving early if they’re in evacuation areas,” said a county emergency manager overseeing operations in a Southern California jurisdiction. “These floods don’t behave like typical stormwater events. They can become life-threatening in minutes.”

Local jurisdictions opened shelters and staged public works crews along creeks to clear culverts, while transit and social services coordinated to reach residents with limited mobility, no vehicle or language barriers. Cities also issued multilingual alerts and worked with community organizations to check on older adults and people with chronic conditions who rely on electricity-dependent medical devices or regular in-center dialysis.

Public-health officials emphasized continuity of care as a central concern. “When evacuation separates patients from their medications or treatment facilities, acute risks rise — from uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension to interrupted oxygen or dialysis support,” said a public-health researcher who studies disaster preparedness. Clinics and hospitals activated surge plans, and some outpatient facilities pre-emptively arranged transport for high-risk patients.

The preparation underscores systemic inequities that repeatedly appear after disasters. Low-income neighborhoods, immigrant communities and rural populations are more likely to be located in flood-prone canyons and along runoff pathways, often because land is cheaper or because historic planning practices displaced residents into marginal lands. These same communities face higher barriers to evacuation: fewer vehicles, limited access to emergency information in non-English languages, and less savings to absorb displacement or property loss.

Advocates and local leaders called attention to strained municipal budgets and an uneven patchwork of mitigation funding. Short-term measures — sandbags, temporary barriers and debris-removal crews — can reduce immediate harm but are costly and ephemeral. Long-term strategies such as hydroseeding, installing check dams, acquiring high-risk properties and relocating infrastructure require sustained investment and coordinated state and federal support.

“Climate-driven fire seasons followed by extreme rainfall create a cycle of crisis that local governments cannot break alone,” said a community organizer working with evacuees. “We need policies that prioritize the people who bear the greatest burden, not only after disaster but before it happens.”

Federal and state emergency agencies have dispatched technical teams to assist with hazard mapping and to expedite applications for funding. Still, officials acknowledge that political and fiscal obstacles complicate decisions on zoning, buyouts and rebuilding rules.

As rain clouds gathered, cities urged residents to sign up for alerts, identify evacuation routes, and make plans for medications, pets and critical documents. For many households living in burn-scarred watersheds, the coming storm is a stark reminder that climate change, wildfire and social inequity are now tightly linked in the calculus of everyday safety.