Boulder Highlights Canyon Peril

Traumatized residents of Silverado gaped at a massive, rain-loosened boulder that killed one of their teenage neighbors and wondered Monday what joy could be found in their supposedly idyllic canyon.

“It’s very sad,” said canyon resident Rebecca Stein, leaving flowers at a makeshift memorial for Caitlin Oto, the 16-year-old killed by the falling boulder Sunday night.

“This is paradise out here, and it’s only 15 minutes from the city. But this makes me think twice. I have three kids. Is all this worth the beauty?”

Caitlin’s home, above her family’s store, and a house next door were severely damaged Sunday night, and residents of two others were evacuated Monday as rain continued to pummel the canyon and its 900 homes.

Capt. Stephen Miller of the Orange County Fire Authority said no other evacuations were anticipated.

The steep, north-facing hillside above the store, pocked ominously by jagged rocks and boulders, has triggered its share of disaster. In 1969, five people perished in a mudslide that swamped a fire station where they had sought refuge. Four years ago, heavy rain and mudslides brought boulders and rocks down upon the same two homes that were struck Sunday night.

“By the time they get down here, they have a lot of force,” said Francisco J. Alonso, the county’s assistant director of building and safety resources. “As the water tumbles down the canyon and it gullies, it exposes rocks.”

On Sunday night, mud, rocks and boulders crashed into the second-story residence above the Shadybrook Country Store, a rough-hewn wood-frame general store that doubles as a gathering place.

Coroner’s officials said Caitlin, a junior at El Modena High, was killed in her bedroom while working at her computer. Her mother and stepfather, who operate the store, were not injured.

Steve Carter, Caitlin’s stepfather, said he was five minutes from closing the store.

“There was no warning,” he said in a barely audible voice. “When it rains, you stand across the street and you look up there. It’s hard not to think about those boulders.”

The boulder that killed Caitlin remained in her bedroom Monday. Other debris that ripped through the house left in its wet, muddy wake the trappings of a teenage girl’s bedroom: CDs, DVDs, toys and stuffed animals.

Another boulder, its path unclear, ended up in the store’s parking lot -- just a few paces from a phone booth and a community bulletin board.

“It makes you realize that your life can be taken at any time,” Miller said. “There’s some pretty steep canyon walls there, and then gravity and Mother Nature do the rest.”

Ray Verdugo, whose daughter also works at the country store, described Caitlin as a “quiet, smart kid” who enjoyed spending time on her computer.

Verdugo said his home, a few miles down the twisting two-lane road that slices through Silverado Canyon, didn’t appear to be in danger -- but he’s not resting easy.

“All of us are on pins and needles,” he said. “I’ve got my motor home packed up and ready, just in case.”

Dale Aviss, a Silverado resident since 1989, said the recent string of torrential downpours had many residents looking toward the tops of rugged canyons and listening to rushing Silverado Creek.

“When the creek gets going fast, it sounds like a bunch of bowling balls rolling down the alley,” Aviss said. “It’s actually the sounds of rocks breaking loose from the raging rapids. Sometimes, it’s so loud that it wakes you up.”

As residents paid their respects to the family and stared awestruck at the two damaged buildings, they debated the risks and rewards of their canyon life.

Brett Peterson, an 18-year canyon resident, said he was not going anywhere: “I wouldn’t live anywhere else. Rockslides are part of living here. All the bike trails are gone up there, the hills are covered in mudslides. It’s the season.”