Ventura Fire Department Battalion Chief Kevin Rennie said the burn areas of Ventura have been seeded, and the new growth appears to be keeping the soil in place.
"I did a preliminary check and the burn areas don't seem to be a problem," Rennie said.
The Ventura County Fire Department issued guidelines for people in flood-prone areas. Spokeswoman Sandi Wells said any flowing waters should be avoided at all costs. "These are deceptively dangerous and have led to loss of life."
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Runoff can be treacherous for cars as well, she said, adding that drivers should not cross roads or other areas of flowing water--the depth is difficult to judge and may be too deep to cross safely.
To keep rain from causing damage at home, Wells recommends the following:
*Remove debris from rain gutters and roofs.
*Keep outside drains clear so the water does not back up into the house.
*If your property is prone to flooding, sandbag early before the rain falls.
With rain falling in Ojai Monday afternoon, 13-year-old Tristyne White was getting a warm, dry spot ready for her 3-week-old Holstein bull calf Paco Del Taco. A member of the Mira Monte 4-H Club, Tristyne is raising the calf to be sold at the Santa Barbara Expo in May. Even though he might wind up in someone's taco following the sale, Tristyne is doing her best to keep Paco out of the wet weather.
"They'll catch pneumonia just like a person," said Tristyne. "If I don't keep him warm, he'll get real sick."
Paco took shelter in a small barn with plywood siding, a night light and a straw floor, built by Tristyne's father, Kevin.
As the potential for heavy rain eased a little bit Monday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department chose not to place helicopter rescue crews on alert. During intense storms, the department keeps helicopters on landing pads in Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, fueled and ready to transport divers trained in water rescues.
"It's a sit-and-wait type of thing," said Capt. Mike Lewis, who heads the department's Moorpark division. "They're there, ready to go. With a call, they crank it up, and they're airborne."
Times correspondent David Baker contributed to this report.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
County Rainfall
Here are rainfall figures from the Ventura County Flood Control Department for the 24-hour period ending at 6 p.m. Monday . Oct. 1 is the beginning of the official rain year.
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Rainfall Rainfall Normal rainfall Location last 24 hours since Oct. 1 to date Camarillo 0.04 7.85 3.79 Casitas Dam 0.04 16.10 6.15 Casitas Rec. Center 0.08 14.45 6.40 Fillmore 0.08 12.54 5.41 Matilija Dam 0.16 18.66 6.63 Moorpark 0.04 9.33 3.94 Upper Ojai 0.20 5.83 5.73 Oxnard 0.04 8.80 3.69 Piru 0.04 9.00 4.38 Port Hueneme 0.04 8.51 3.72 Santa Paula 0.08 11.15 4.84 Simi Valley 0.04 8.83 3.96 Thousand Oaks 0.00 9.11 3.72 Ventura Govt. Center 0.04 9.21 4.11
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