Canyon Residents Prepare to Do Battle With Storm : Evacuation: Those who live near Matilija Creek are advised to leave or they could be cut off for weeks. But many are staying to defend their homes.

As more storm clouds gathered Friday, Nancy Goddard and Glendon Brunk stocked up on firewood and food at their home on the banks of the swollen Matilija Creek in the forest northwest of Ojai.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department asked the couple and about 45 other homeowners to evacuate because the new storm could flood the area, trapping them for weeks.

But, Goddard and Brunk said they are staying put.

“We want to go down with the ship,” Goddard said. “I don’t want to be a troublemaker, but this is my home.”

And several neighbors in Matilija Canyon agreed. They said they weren’t leaving--at least for now.

“A lot of people have been here a long time,” resident Dossy Mauthe said. “If you leave, you don’t know what’s happening. At least if we stay, we can do something to save our homes, or our neighbors’ (homes).”

Located off California 33 about 10 miles from Ojai, the Matilija Canyon community has been through many disasters over the years.

In 1969, nearly all of the cabins along the creek washed away in a flood.

And in 1985, the area was nearly wiped out by the Wheeler Canyon fire.

And as the big storm moved through the county earlier this week, the only road that leads into the canyon was battered by rock and mudslides.

Some portions were washed away in the rain, and authorities said they did not think that the road would hold up through another strong storm.

“If the road slips down, they’ll be stuck back there anywhere from four to six weeks,” said Lt. Paul Anderson of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.

During past floods and fires, the county has evacuated residents by helicopter, he said.

On Friday, Anderson said, only four families had agreed to leave the area. “The rest are staying.”

Margie Ostrander, 70, was one of the homeowners who decided to leave.

Shortly before noon Friday, she packed a few of her belongings, including pictures of her grandchildren, into her Volkswagen bus.

She said she planned to stay with a friend in Ojai.

“I’m here all alone and it’s too scary,” said Ostrander, a widow. “I just don’t have the nerves for it anymore. I’m getting out.”

Ostrander, who has lived in the canyon for about 20 years, said she got little sleep during the worst of the storms.

Before sunrise Wednesday, she stood in the darkness straining to see if the creek had flooded.

“You could hear the river roaring and the rocks falling,” she said. “It could wash out acres within no time at all. I was afraid it had taken everything with it.”

Although the creek expanded and cut dangerously close to some houses, none were lost.

“I guess you could say we’re caught between a rock and a mud slide,” Mauthe said, laughing.

“But doggone it,” she said. “We never get the rain quite right. We’re always off a beat. We either get too much or not enough.”

Residents in the area said they knew they would be facing danger at times when they decided to live in the mountainous area.

“We’re just guests here,” said Brunk. “It’s the dues you pay to live in a place that’s different from a city street.”

Goddard, who has been flown by helicopter out of the area during past floods and fires, added: “It’s part of what makes the canyon so special. It’s hard to leave.

“The other night we had a fire burning and bread cooking in the oven. It’s so toasty inside. Yet all this calamity is at the door.”