VENTURA COUNTY ROUNDUP : CASITAS SPRINGS : Dam Sirens to Be Tested Next Week
Beginning Tuesday, residents of Casitas Springs and western Ventura will hear loud sirens blaring through their neighborhoods as officials at Casitas Dam test a new flood-warning system.
Specific testing times for the eight sirens cannot be set in advance, officials said. But residents will hear a voice on the siren say: “This is a test” in English and in Spanish, followed by a series of tones lasting 10 seconds.
After the sirens are each tested, the entire system will be tested together. The testing period could last several days, officials said.
Sirens were installed last month to give the public early warning in the event of a failure at Casitas Dam, which holds back flood waters at Lake Casitas. Low-lying neighborhoods in Oak View, Casitas Springs and western Ventura, including the Ventura Avenue area, are considered most at risk of flooding, and as many as 14,000 people are possibly threatened.
In the event of imminent flooding, the siren system would direct residents to evacuate to higher ground.
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