Ventura residents and officials prepare for upcoming storm

Future rain is a concern for residents up and down the coast coming after the biggest fire in State history. The City of Ventura feels confident that they are prepared for the amount of rain that is expected.

Tuesday was a clear blue day in Ventura, but that is expected to change on Thursday with a half inch of rain that is expected to come, and even more is possible in the mountains.

“Of course I am concerned,” said Karen Mcworter who lives in Ventura. “But we are in God’s hands because this is a natural disaster. We just have to pray it doesn’t get too bad.”

Mcworter has lived off of Foothill Road in Ventura for more than 20 years. Her house not only sits across the street from where the Thomas Fire burned but her backyard overlooks a barranca. Still, she and some of her neighbors aren’t that worried about flooding.

“We have done the best we can with what we could and everyone around here really cares about their property and they have done a lot with their insurance money,” said Mcworter.

Homeowners have cut down trees and removed as much debris as possible. The City has also done a lot of work cleaning out basins and barrancas.

“We have also diverted a lot of the debris flow during a heavier rain like these concrete blocks,” said Brad Starr who is the Engineering Services Manager at the City of Ventura. “We put them in high areas to prevent debris from going down roadways and causing problems for traffic and properties.”

The city has put blocks like these all through Ventura’s trouble areas such as City Hall, above Ventura College and along Foothill Road. While nothing can stop the water from flowing down, the city wants to try channeling it to where it is safer.

“We are doing storm watch during rain events,” said Starr. “Someone will be monitoring the higher likely hood of issues and someone will be doing storm watch all night and then also the County, as well as the City, has equipment throughout the different channels that we can reach to clean out basin as they would get clogged up.”