Area Braces for Another Storm; Hiking Trails Remain Closed

As residents in low-lying areas continued to wipe away the mud Friday, Ventura County hydrologists prepared for possible flash floods from another storm expected tonight, and parks officials in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks declared hiking trails too hazardous to reopen for at least a week.

Meanwhile, Unocal and county workers scrambled Friday to mop up a five-barrel oil spill in Adams Barranca near Santa Paula before the storm runoff sends more water down the creek, complicating the cleanup.

Although the county has had a couple of days to dry out, soils still contain too much water for flood control engineers to let down their guard.

“We are going to act as an early warning group,” said Hassan Kasraie, a senior engineer in the county flood-control department. “We want to stay on top of it.”

Forecasters with the National Weather Service are predicting one to two inches of rain across Ventura County today and Sunday. More rain could fall in mountainous areas.

“It doesn’t look like torrential downpours at this moment,” meteorologist David Gomberg said. “It looks more like light to moderate rain.”

The ongoing series of storms prompted county officials to warn residents living below the dam at Lake Casitas to clear debris that could block the flow of water in the Coyote Creek drainage.

The lake is now about three feet below capacity and rising. Although water from the Robles Diversion Canal is no longer being diverted into the lake, the lake is still receiving runoff from mountainous areas. It is expected to spill within two weeks if western Ventura County receives intense rainfall of four inches or more, officials said.

In the oil fields above Santa Paula, the Unocal spill occurred when a holding tank was inundated with a mixture of oil and water flowing from a pipe in the hillside.

Under normal conditions, a pipe at the bottom of the tank allows water to drain out, leaving the oil floating on top. But during this week’s storms, the water could not drain from the tank fast enough and oil spilled over the top. The heavy runoff also punched an opening in a dirt berm designed to contain spilled oil around the tank.

To contain the spill, Unocal workers Friday placed a temporary barrier in the barranca and used absorbent material to mop up oil near the storage tank.

In Simi Valley, Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District officials said several trails may be closed until February because of the storm. A 6.9-mile bike trail that runs along the Arroyo Simi was shut down earlier this week because of dangerously high water levels.

“No way we could let anyone go down there,” district spokesman Rick Johnson said. “Our engineers won’t even go down there.”

Other Simi Valley trails that will remain closed include Hummingbird Creek, Chumash, Challenger and Corriganville Park.

In Thousand Oaks, park officials said mud and erosion could pose a risk to hikers. All 70 miles of the city’s trail system were blocked off earlier this week.

The pathways will remain closed for at least another week as crews from the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency patch up the tattered sections.

Red Cross officials announced the opening of an assistance center in Ventura to help flood victims replace lost clothing, make minor home repairs and purchase food. The center, which opens for applications today, is situated at the Gem & Mineral building in the Ventura County Fairgrounds, 10 W. Harbor Blvd.

Also Friday, the Red Cross shut down its last disaster shelter at De Anza Middle School in Ventura. A cold weather warming shelter at the National Guard Armory in Oxnard will remain open for the homeless, including those barred from returning to their camps in the Ventura River bottom.

Caltrans officials said California 150 between the Santa Barbara County line and Santa Ana Road very likely will remain closed next week because chunks of the pavement were washed out by swift floodwaters. California 23 between Moorpark and Fillmore also was closed as of Friday.

In addition, more than a dozen roads remained closed because of rocks and mud, many in the hard-hit Ojai Valley.

“It’s just for safety’s sake until we can get them cleaned up,” said Dale Carnathan of the sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. “That mud makes things miserable.”

In Ventura, street crews began the task of patching potholes, concentrating their efforts on Thompson Boulevard. Pedestrians and bicyclists were allowed to cross the West Main Street bridge, but cars were kept away because of concerns about structural damage.

Ventura police issued warnings to homeless people trying to return to the riverbed, but no arrests were made.

“We are going to arrest people if they come back a second time,” Sgt. Tom Taylor said.

“Some have been very vocal about the fact that we’re not allowing them back into their home. Others say, ‘OK, we understand,’ and they leave,” he said.

County Red Cross Director Brian Bolton said 121 people slept at the National Guard Armory in Oxnard Thursday night. The shelter, which is normally open only at night, will continue to operate during the day through Wednesday.

Times staff writer Mary Pols and correspondent Matthew Mosk contributed to this report.