After Storm’s Battering, a Lull Before Next Wave

Beach-side dwellers took advantage of a break in a series of storms Saturday to assess the wreckage left by monster waves, while flood officials monitored the amount of rain soaking into the ground and waited for a new storm to move in today.

“This is as close to saturation as we’ve got with rain on the horizon,” said Dolores Taylor, an engineer for Ventura County’s department of flood control. “We’re worried for Monday’s and Tuesday’s storms. If [the rain] comes in six hours, we’re in big trouble, but if it comes in over 48 hours, we should be OK.”

Light rain that fell throughout the county Saturday should give way to a new, larger storm front this afternoon, with heavy precipitation forecast for Monday and Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

“It’s probably the biggest of the storms thus far this year,” said meteorologist Joe Sirard. “We’re expecting quite a bit of rain.”

Up to 2 inches of precipitation is expected along the coast, with more in the mountains, meteorologists said.

What concerns flood experts is how much of the rain coming this week will soak into the ground.

According to their calculations, mountain areas near Matilija and the Sespe Creek can receive only 3 more inches of rain before they become saturated. Urban spots such as Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks can take only about 1 1/2 inches more.

Once the ground becomes waterlogged, rivers and streams could rise and overflow.

Taylor said she is worried that there will not be enough “drying-out time” between storm fronts to allow trees to soak up the excess ground water and evaporation to occur.

Flood officials will continue to monitor the situation. If they declare a flood alert, sheriff’s deputies will be sent to knock on doors, warning residents of landslides and asking that they move their cars to higher ground.

Jill and Rick O’Hara of Westlake Village were dealing with their own water problems Saturday morning.

Their soggy situation didn’t stem from the rain, but from 15-foot ocean swells that smashed through their weekend home on Faria Beach.

Their house--one of at least 11 damaged by huge waves Friday morning--had been red-tagged Friday afternoon, meaning officials deemed it structurally unsafe for anyone to live there. The couple stopped by Saturday to assess the damage caused by the waves that had torn through their house, breaking glass doors and ripping out a water heater.

“We wanted to be there in case something happens,” Jill O’Hara said, adding that they left the furniture in the house Friday but were able to grab some personal belongings and kitchenware.

Even though the waves had abated considerably Saturday, “I didn’t feel too comfortable in there. It wasn’t worth jeopardizing our lives,” she said.

Despite the damage--the family did not yet have a cost estimate--the O’Haras were counting their blessings.

“I’m as calm as I am, and as much as I am sad, my family and my pets are my priorities, and we’re all OK,” O’Hara said.

Other seacoast dwellers also had it rough Saturday.

Wooden boards replaced the sliding glass doors facing the ocean at a Breakers Way home in Mussel Shoals. Neighbors said the property manager had come by earlier in the day to rip out gray carpeting, which lay in a dripping heap outside.

Next to the rolled-up rug lay shards of glass broken when the waves ripped through the house the day before.

Nearby, Bill Yates, a production foreman for Rincon Island Limited Partnership, was watching crews fix torn fencing along the roadway leading to an island off the Rincon. He estimated Friday’s surf caused $25,000 worth of damage.

Down the road, Joe Von of Camarillo had stopped by to visit a friend whose home sits at the southernmost tip of Faria Beach. Though his friend was not there, Von showed what had happened: The electric garage door and surrounding latticework had been ripped off by tumultuous waters and now lay in a pile, waiting to be hauled away.

Elsewhere in the county, up to half an inch of rain fell in the morning and early afternoon Saturday, causing at least two minor traffic accidents. But the rain was light enough that hillside homes remained safe for now.

At the promenade, the Ventura Pier remained closed, although no more pilings were reported damaged, said Ventura Police Lt. Brad Talbot. An engineer is expected to conduct a safety assessment Monday.

And despite Friday’s fury, visitors still flocked to the sea.

By Saturday afternoon, when the rain had stopped, the sun had peeked through the clouds and the old Pacific Coast Highway had been reopened just north of Ventura, scores of people stood alongside the rocks and sand, marveling at the rolling, grayish waves.

Parents put away their umbrellas and let their children take off their raincoats. Joggers ran by, not minding the muddy puddles they stamped through.

And surfers clambered back into the water, enjoying the high tides and 5-foot surf.

Correspondent Robert Gammon contributed to this report.

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County Rainfall

Here are rainfall figures from the Ventura County Flood Control Department for the 24-hour period ending at 5 p.m. Saturday. Oct. 1 is the beginning of the official rain year.

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Rainfall Rainfall Normal rainfall Location last 24 hours since Oct. 1 to date Camarillo 0.31 11.50 7.30 Casitas Dam 0.47 15.25 12.48 Casitas Rec. Center 0.28 16.14 12.34 Fillmore 0.35 13.54 10.12 Matilija Dam 0.24 16.58 13.91 Moorpark 0.00 12.09 7.88 Ojai 0.08 13.66 11.11 Upper Ojai 0.20 15.00 11.90 Oxnard 0.31 12.70 7.67 Piru 0.00 11.42 9.15 Port Hueneme 0.55 12.08 7.55 Santa Paula 0.20 12.08 9.32 Simi Valley 0.43 12.52 7.54 Thousand Oaks 0.08 11.73 8.11 Ventura Govt. Center 0.43 13.75 8.49

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