County Edgy as Threat of Slides Rises

So far, the rains have been mercifully gentle--a steady yet light drizzle that has seeped inconspicuously into the soil, softening the sediment and, with each drop, rendering it more susceptible to landslides.

The ground hasn’t broken loose yet, but county officials braced for the likelihood of slides and flooding in some areas Wednesday.

As thunderstorms threatened to pound Upper Ojai during the evening, county flood control officials watched nervously.

This week’s rainstorms have nearly saturated the ground in the area, which was scorched by December’s 4,400-acre Ranch fire. The season’s largest fire burned vegetation and root systems that hold hillsides in place.

An additional inch of rain--combined with the pounding, heavy drops that thunderstorms often bring--could send mud sloshing over roads, officials warned.

“When they talk about thunderstorms, it makes the hair stand up on the back of our necks,” said Dolores Taylor, senior hydrologist for the Ventura County Flood Control District. “They’re very unpredictable. We’ve got one eye on the radar and one eye on the computer screen.”

The National Weather Service issued no formal thunderstorm warnings Wednesday afternoon, calling instead for moderate rain that could bring 0.6 of an inch of precipitation to mountain areas. But Clint Simpson, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said thunderstorms were possible Wednesday evening.

The recent off-again, on-again storm pattern is the result of instability in the atmosphere as cold air shoots off storm fronts from the Gulf of Alaska, said Bill Hoffer, National Weather Service meteorologist.

“It’s just a real chaotic sky,” he said.

The forecast calls for no rain but partly cloudy skies today and Friday, with a chance of rain again Friday night and Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Should thunderstorms strike, Taylor is particularly concerned about the potential for mud sliding over California 150, Reeves Road and the streets in the Ojai area that intersect them.

Other areas of concern are along the Rincon, where a fire burned about 250 acres at the same time the Ranch fire raged in December, and the La Conchita area where, nearly five years ago, 11 tons of mud and debris rolled down hillsides, smashing nine homes and leaving the tiny coastal community devastated.

Flood Control District officials contacted public safety agencies Wednesday to ensure that they were ready to respond. And Taylor and her crew watched computer-generated watershed models and gauges that monitor rainfall intensity and stream levels.

“We’re definitely in alert mode,” she said. “We don’t get ourselves all tied in knots until the ground gets saturated and we get intense rain.”

To ensure that it was prepared, the Ventura County Fire Department organized a flood rescue drill where crews inspected their equipment, then put it to the test at the Freeman Diversion Dam near California 118 and Vineyard Avenue. The rescuers worked to hone their skills in pulling stranded victims from swift-moving water, spokeswoman Sandi Wells said.

The drill had been previously scheduled, but it came at an appropriate time, she said.

Wells said the department was planning to patrol the Ranch fire area Wednesday evening, if necessary, to ensure that no significant amounts of mud had spilled over roadways. County fire officials were also at the ready to bring in more personnel and move equipment to the area, she said.

Meanwhile, Wells said residents in problem areas can pick up sandbags at county fire stations 20 in Ojai and 25 in the Rincon and La Conchita areas.

In other areas, residents must buy them at home improvement stores, Wells said.

She also suggested that residents clean porch drains and rooftop downspouts to avoid flooding.