“. . .no problem at all, we did great,” said Public Works Director/City Engineer Cliff Finley. “We didn’t even get called out last night.”Planning ahead was the key, he added. Precautionary measures as well as the “intensity of the rain was probably just under what it could have been. . .it didn’t come so the drains couldn’t keep up,” with the flow of water.Sandbags were picked up yesterday at Santa Paula Fire Station #1 but “I haven’t heard that there were any problems,” Finley added.The problematic areas of 12th Street held steady: “My whole life it’s been a mess there and it looks like what we did worked.”Curb and gutter had been installed from Santa Paula Street to the drains that go under the railroad tracks, easing the flooding problems that have plagued the area for years.The Santa Paula Fire Department saw little rain related action, according to Chief Paul Skeels.“We had one call of an arcing electrical line on Peck Road near Highway 126 and a report that some mud had come down,” into a culvert off ofRidgecrest Drive, “but nothing that required an emergency call. It looks like we got through the rain and wind just fine.”
Storm brings rain, winds but no damage to soaked Santa Paula
February 27, 2004
Santa Paula News
It was bright and sunny Thursday morning in Santa Paula after a hard-hitting storm that – in spite of warnings of flash flooding and mudslides - seemed to have blown over Ventura County without major damage.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesIt was bright and sunny Thursday morning in Santa Paula after a hard-hitting storm that – in spite of warnings of flash flooding and mudslides - seemed to have blown over Ventura County without major damage.The Wednesday-Thursday storm dumped about 2.7 inches of rain onto Santa Paula according to spweather.com, bringing the year’s total to just under 11 inches.The National Weather Service reported that 3.66 inches of rain fell on Santa Paula Creek in the 24-hour period ending 11 p.m. Wednesday but did not identify which stretch of the creek is measured.Gusty winds reached up to almost 40 mph during the strongest storm period late Wednesday into early Thursday morning.The storm wrecked havoc throughout the state where areas experienced heavy flooding and widespread power outages but as it passed over Ventura County it has gentled. At least one person is believed dead in Irvine after plunging into a storm channel. Another driver in San Dimas Canyon didn’t heed warnings about trying to cross a rain-swollen stream but was rescued.Several local roads were closed including Balcom Canyon from South Mountain to Bradley roads.Ventura County rains started at about 2 p.m. Wednesday with the storm peak hitting at about midnight.
