La Conchita residents say they are prepared for storm

VENTURA, Calif -- La Conchita is an area of concern for mudslides during this week's storm, and many living there have a mix of different emotions as they wait for the rain.

Light rain arrived around 1:30 p.m. for about an hour. There were no reports of any landslides or damage to any properties. NewsChannel 3-12 reporter Senerey De Los Santos spoke with Mike Bell, who is the unofficial mayor in this small town that has 161 homes.

He says his community is prepared for the storm. For the past three weeks, they have been holding community meetings leading up to the storm. The town created a notebook full of everyone’s names, addresses, and phone numbers to give to the fire department in case of an emergency.

The town has had experience with landslides before. In 1995 nine homes were buried in a landslide. Everyone survived that natural disaster. But in 2005, not everyone was as lucky. 10 people were killed when the hilly sides gave way, bringing deadly debris and mud down from above. Several homes were destroyed and the remnants of that deadly day are still visible.

But Bell says the community is prepared to prevent future tragedies.

“We bought a tractor for the town so we can keep the mud moving if there is any mud,” said Bell. “We have a container that has all our emergency supplies, so we are better prepared than most communities. That is because of the ’95 and 2005 slides. Those events forced us to get into a situation where we can take care of ourselves.”

But despite the risks, Bell says no one from La Conchita has evacuated or plans to leave town during this storm.

For the latest weather conditions in our area, click here.