United in Disaster : Matilija Canyon: Residents of this rural Ojai Valley community have suffered over the years. But floods and fires have failed to dislodge them.

The chocolate-colored creek flushed through Matilija Canyon, slamming boulders together in morning-long clashes that cracked with the sound of thunder.

Eddie Guthman stood in the middle of a washed-out road Thursday morning, recounting how those underwater collisions kept him up most of the night.

But even when the rain kept pounding, and the swollen creek inched closer to his waterfront home, Guthman, like most of those in this rural Ojai Valley canyon, refused to seek higher ground.

“If you have been here a while, you know what to expect,” said Guthman, holding his infant daughter, Roxann, in his arms. “And besides, there is nothing like being in this canyon after a rainstorm.”

Here in this rustic canyon region--where the landmarks have names such as Rattlesnake Curve and Lizard Flats--residents were digging out Thursday from the aftermath of a brutal storm that washed out parts of the road and cut off the area for much of the morning.

But they were also digging in, preparing to battle another storm due this weekend.

“This is about the only time that the canyon gets together and talks,” said 33-year-old Julian Gonzalez, watching a county crew scrape a mudslide off the road. “It’s not so bad. We wouldn’t live up here if we didn’t love it.”

Situated off California 33 about 10 miles northwest of Ojai, the Matilija Canyon community has suffered its share of disasters over the years.

In 1969, a flood washed away nearly all the cabins along the creek. In 1985, it was the Wheeler Canyon fire that nearly wiped out the 45-home community. During past floods and fires, the county has evacuated residents by helicopter.

During a two-hour period at the height of this most recent storm Wednesday morning, more than two inches of rain fell on Matilija Canyon.

The only road that leads into the canyon was battered by rock and mud. The rain-swollen creek overflowed its banks in some places, causing minor flooding on some properties.

“They didn’t call this one,” said Dennis Butcher, who has lived in the canyon for 12 years. “They made such a big deal about the last storm and it just fizzled out. They didn’t say much about this one yesterday and it didn’t let up once.”

The swirling creek came within 600 feet of Butcher’s house.

The floor-covering worker, who makes his living repairing water-damaged residences, has stocked up on groceries, firewood and bottled water.

“I’m a little worried about the next storm,” he said. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

Washed-out roads were a convenient excuse Thursday for Matilija Canyon children to skip school. Two girls sloshed around in an oversized mud puddle before a county worker came along with a big yellow bulldozer and pushed it aside to let cars through.

But halfway up the canyon road, the county tractor got stuck in the mud and 65-year-old Bill Palmer had to come and pull it out. The 20-year canyon resident spent a good part of the morning trying to clear the road with his own tractor.

“This is the worst storm we’ve had since we had the fire,” said Palmer, who delivers propane for a living. “But you’ve got to be careful. I’ve seen the river go from three feet to 300 feet in three hours.”

He turned an eye toward the white clouds moving rapidly above the giant granite hillsides, less menacing than the black clouds that had unleashed sheets of water the day before.

But he said he knows better than to let his guard down now.

“I love it here, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world,” he said. “But this is a time you’ve got to be careful. You never know what the river is going to do.”