A new rain storm is bearing down on California, including fire-ravaged Los Angeles, where residents are bracing for the possibility of mudslides and landslides.

When hills are healthy, vegetation can anchor the soil in place. But when that is burned off, hillsides become vulnerable to erosion, and slopes can come crashing down.

Hurricane Helene triggered over 2,000 landslides across Appalachia, according to an ongoing survey helmed by the United States Geological Survey. Per a publicly available interactive map created by ...