Slow-Moving Storm Hurts Crops; Power Lines Downed

A slow-moving storm continued its assault Tuesday on Ventura County, damaging strawberry crops, flooding streets, and downing trees and power lines.

The county withstood strong winds, occasional thunder and torrential downpours that continued through Tuesday morning, but avoided major flood damage.

Farmers viewed the moisture as a mixed blessing. Just two months ago, rainfall was well below normal and the specter of a drought year loomed.

Now the challenge is getting crops out of the ground before they rot underwater, said Mike Conroy, an Oxnard strawberry farmer who lost much of his latest planting to the four-day storm.

“It’s winter; this is to be expected,” Conroy said. “It’s a long haul. If I got down in the dumps over 3 inches of rain in February, I better get off the roller coaster. But I am too old to sell Amway.”

The storm should finally clear out of the county by tonight, giving way to partly cloudy skies and continued cool temperatures through Saturday, said Bruce Rockwell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Another storm could roll into the area by Sunday.

“If you wanted rain, you couldn’t have had a more ideal situation for a storm,” Rockwell said.

From Ojai to Thousand Oaks, this storm left its mark.

In Newbury Park, the roof of a shuttered Home Depot collapsed about 5 a.m. Tuesday under the weight of the downpour.

In Thousand Oaks, members of Emmanuel Presbyterian Church were cleaning up a soggy mess Tuesday afternoon after the storm soaked parts of a nearly complete Sunday school classroom addition.

On California 33 in Oak View, strong winds blew down power lines Tuesday morning, forcing the temporary closure of a post office and several nearby businesses. Power was restored about four hours later, said Officer Dave Webb of the California Highway Patrol.

Most cities along the coast reported 24-hour rain totals of nearly 2 inches as of late Tuesday. Most area cities are expected to receive rainfall totals of up to 4 inches from the four-day storm. The Matilija Dam area was expected to report nearly 6 inches in the same period.

The county Fire Department’s swift-water rescue team was on alert Tuesday along waterways that surged above normal levels, spokeswoman Sandi Wells said.

Creeks and streams that have been historically prone to flooding were monitored overnight by county flood control workers, but no flooding was reported, said Dolores Taylor, a senior county hydrologist.

“It was an interesting night. The intensity at 6 p.m. was the worst we saw all night, and the winds were ferocious,” Taylor said. “It was a little touch-and-go at 3 in the morning, but it’s OK now.”

The Santa Clara River, which winds its way through the heart of the county before dumping into the ocean, was moving at between 5,000 and 6,000 cubic feet of water per second Tuesday afternoon. Normally, the water flows at less than 40 cubic feet per second, Taylor said.

In Simi Valley, strong winds tore two trees from the ground in separate incidents, causing damage to cars parked nearby, said John Wartring, Simi Valley’s assistant public works director.

In Moorpark, a toppled tree blocked traffic in the Peach Hill area, officials said.

But it was the Ojai Valley that saw the most action.

Along California 33 in Oak View, 3-foot boulders cascaded down a hill at the Arnaz Grade, forcing the road’s temporary closure.

Large boulders also closed a 50-yard section along both sides of California 150 near Lake Casitas.

Correspondents Gail Davis and Jenifer Ragland contributed to this story.

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County Rainfall

Here are rainfall figures from the Ventura County Flood Control District for the 24-hour period ending at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Oct. 1 is the beginning of the official rain year.

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24-hour rain to Rainfall Percent of Normal 10:30 a.m. since normal rainfall Location Tuesday Oct. 1 rainfall to date Camarillo 1.74 8.46 101% 8.35 Casitas Dam 1.37 15.23 104% 14.62 Casitas Rec. Center 1.18 15.26 104% 14.62 Fillmore 2.50 13.79 117% 11.83 Matilija Dam 1.55 17.81 107% 16.58 Moorpark 1.50 8.24 91% 9.07 Ojai 1.89 14.11 108% 13.13 Upper Ojai 1.20 15.78 111% 14.17 Oxnard 1.96 9.17 102% 9.00 Piru 2.00 9.31 88% 10.60 Port Hueneme 1.60 7.14 81% 8.84 Santa Paula 2.12 13.53 123% 11.01 Simi Valley 2.50 10.02 115% 8.74 Thousand Oaks 2.15 9.57 102% 9.43 Ventura Govt. Center 2.22 12.44 125% 9.95

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Source: Ventura County Flood Control District