Wrightwood neighbors begin cleanup after Christmas Eve mudslide; thousands remain without power

WRIGHTWOOD, Calif. () — Cleanup is underway after heavy rains slammed Wrightwood. Mudslides caused damage, and the storm also knocked out power for thousands of SoCal Edison customers.

All Evacuation Warnings in Wrightwood were lifted on Friday as the community begins to assess the damage from the Christmas Eve storm.

“We came up last night, and we kind of knew it had happened, but we didn’t know how bad,” said Janelle Hall from Phelan. “So, this is the first time I am seeing it in the daylight. So, it’s bad.”

Video shows Oriole Road buried after a river of water sent mud, debris and charred wood down the mountain and into the homes below.

Several feet of mud buried cars and left streets coated in rain-soaked sludge.

PREVIOUS REPORT: Portion of Wrightwood slammed by feet of mud, inundating cars and homes

The area was previously impacted by the Bridge Fire.

“With the area being softened, so to speak, by the burn scars from the fall of 2024, the area holds less water. So, the natural channels get overwhelmed,” said Ryan Beckers with San Bernardino County Fire.

Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 Southern California Edison customers remain without power. With some areas still inaccessible, it could be some time before service is restored.

At The Village Grind coffee shop, a generator is keeping the coffee flowing and neighbors connected.

“The Village Grind is kind of the center of Wrightwood for a lot of that. Greg stays open through a lot of these emergencies, and come down here and hang out, catch up with your neighbor,” said Wrightwood resident Jeff Lord.

Lord says the community was prepared for the storm and the potential impacts.

“At a certain point when it is more than a foot of water, sandbags aren’t going to help you,” he said.

While Highway 2 and the 138 Freeway are open, some sections will need to be reinforced.

Power lines in several areas remain precariously supported by line trucks as repairs begin.

Local authorities are remaining on high alert as the rain continues to fall.

“So, we are in watch mode, and the other thing that we are doing is, we got some extra coverage here up here today. We got hand crews both here and in Lytle Creek, in case something does occur again,” Beckers said.

In Lytle Creek, residents are also dealing with damage. More than 100 residents of the Happy Jack neighborhood are cut off from the rest of the community after their only access road washed away.

“It got so bad that with the rainfall and the rocks and debris. It completely washed away the bridge,” resident Amber Guerrero said.

Lytle Creek and Wrightwood will be assessing how many homes were damaged.

So far, officials said about 50 homes appeared to be damaged from the mudslide in Wrightwood. The estimate could go up as the assessment is completed.

Residents are the only people being allowed in Wrightwood in the meantime.