Modjeska Canyon
Steven Hand casts a wary eye toward a dam that’s 100 yards from his father’s house in Orange County’s Modjeska Canyon. The family stayed during the October wildfires, and they refuse to evacuate now. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Roger Manning, a lifelong resident of Modjeska Canyon, fills sandbags at a county-run resource center near his home. He says he would evacuate if flooding mandates it. He loves the rural nature of life in the area. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
“We ain’t leavin’.” That sentiment by Steven Hand, center, is shared by his neighbors. They fought off October’s wildfires, and they have no intention of leaving in spite of predicted rainstorms that may cause severe flooding and mudslides. Left to right are Merle Collins, Hand and Bobby Gaouette. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
A truck full of hay bales makes its way beneath fire-blackened oak trees on Modjeska Canyon Road. Residents were busy protecting their properties in anticipation of mud flows. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
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A helicopter drops green-colored soil stabilizer on the west-facing slope of Saddleback Mountain. October wildfires denuded the landscape of vegetation. With rainstorms on the way, the effort is a precaution against mudslides. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
