Tuesday’s storm brought a variety of reactions throughout Ventura County.

“It was not a disaster. But we had glimpses of the nightmare that could have been. Make sure your drains are clean and your sandbags ready, because we aren’t kidding. This is just the beginning of what we’ve been warned about all winter. El Nino does exist.”

--Sandi Wells, spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

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“We use the radar to take exact slices of a storm in much the same way that a CAT scan takes slices of the body.”

--Mike Smith, president of WeatherData Inc., which provides weather data to The Times.

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“The creeks and streams of Ventura County are generally very flashy; they’re up and down very quickly. So this break between storms was just enough. We’re lucky.”

--Meteorologist Gary Ryan of the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office.

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“The more I was doing it, the more I was around it, the more I’ve wanted to do it. It’s a great program.”

--Bryan Bowen of Simi Valley, a medical technician and Ventura County search-and-rescue volunteer.

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“My TV’s broken because the power went out at home. It’s boring there. It’s pretty boring here, too, but not as.”

--Ventura High freshman Eric Bray, hanging out at Buenaventura Mall after classes were canceled.

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“It’s kind of nice to not have to be anywhere--to just scratch the whole schedule.”

--Wendy Lofland of Ventura, who took three youngsters to Buenaventura Mall in wake of storm.

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“The waves are big and dirty--not threatening now, but one day to the next, who can tell?”

--Wine dealer Benton Lane of Solimar Beach, whose $10,000 Tibetan rug was ruined by high surf.

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“It’s been long, it’s been trying, thank God it hasn’t been a disaster. It could have been.”

--Ventura Mayor Jim Friedman, assessing the aftermath

Tuesday evening.

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“Look at that flow. I’m thinking it’s too dangerous to get anywhere near it.”

--Joe Luna, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman, pointing to a chocolate-brown waterfall spilling out of a hillside.

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“How he made it to that sandbar I couldn’t tell you. He would have been swept away if he hadn’t gotten anyone’s attention.”

--Sheriff’s Deputy Tim Hagel, talking about a homeless man rescued off a Ventura River sandbar.

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“Usually when it starts raining like this, I check the floor of the garage. At 5 a.m., already there was 3 feet of water.”

--Ojai Valley resident Kelly White outside her flooded home.

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“It’s very scary--you’re looking at your things, knowing when you come back nothing will be the same.”

--Port Hueneme resident Yolanda Anguiano, who was forced from her apartment on Surfside Drive, about a block from the beach.