Latest Storm Causes Little Local Damage

Battered by storms in recent weeks, Ventura County escaped this week’s bout of wet weather with a few light showers and little damage.

In La Conchita, where houses have been flattened by mudslides, rain Thursday loosened several feet of sodden dirt on the unstable hillside above the community, causing a minor slide that covered a section of Ocean View Road. No residents were evacuated.

Today and through the weekend, increasingly warm temperatures are expected throughout the county, with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s, forecasters said.

“The major weather pattern on the way is high pressure with good offshore winds through the middle of next week,” said Curtis Brack, a meteorologist for WeatherData Inc., which forecasts for The Times. “Things should be getting nice and warm.”

The warm, dry weather is welcome news for residents of La Conchita, where many houses stand vacant, their owners evacuated when the hill first began slipping weeks ago. After Thursday’s minor slide, county officials slapped yellow tags on 11 additional houses--all vacant--that may be threatened by the slide.

As a strong, cold wind blew through the nearly deserted streets, a county sheriff’s helicopter and three patrol cars continued to monitor the area for further sliding.

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Resident Brad Toliver, 46, has been staying with friends in Santa Barbara since the hillside started slipping last month. He returned home Thursday to collect some furniture and check for new damage.

“I hope it comes down so we can get it over with,” Toliver said. “We’re sort of in the twilight zone here.”

Resident Sean Nelson, 42, said he is trying to look on the bright side, and hopes to buy some La Conchita real estate at bargain prices.

“I look at this as an opportunity to buy another home,” Nelson said. “Right now is probably a great time.”

Throughout the county, brisk winds blew fluffy white clouds across sunny skies and rolling hills displayed a carpet of emerald green. Mountain peaks were capped with a light dusting of snow--Frazier Park recorded four inches of snowfall Thursday morning.

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The scattered showers and snowfall came at the tail end of a storm that whipped through California, dumping rain on the northern part of the state but largely drying up by the time it reached Ventura County.

“This storm system hasn’t had as much moisture associated with it,” Brack said. “In general, the precipitation has been more scattered.”

Rain this winter has been especially heavy in Ventura County, causing an estimated $15 million in damage, including the price of fixing potholes, flood control channels and waterlogged buildings. California 150 remains closed between Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, along with Santa Ana Road near Lake Casitas.

For Simi Valley resident Tim Burns, the sunny forecast is a welcome change.

“I like the rain, but enough is enough,” he said. “I think we’re all happy to see a little sunshine.”