Richard Tate, KQ6NO, a Ventura County ARES Emergency Coordinator, handles communication from the ARES/RACES radio room at the Red Cross chapter house in Ventura. [Joe Krigbaum, K6NE, Photo]
NEWINGTON, CT, Jan 13, 2005--Flooding and a devastating mudslide in Southern California kept Ventura County ARES/RACES members on the move this week. Among other activities, ARES/RACES has supported communication at shelters housing La Conchita residents displaced by a massive and deadly mudslide January 10 that killed at least 10 people. A town of some 250 inhabitants, La Conchita is approximately 65 miles north of Los Angeles.
Richard Tate, KQ6NO, a Ventura County ARES Emergency Coordinator, handles communication from the ARES/RACES radio room at the Red Cross chapter house in Ventura. [Joe Krigbaum, K6NE, Photo] |
"Several communities were cut off from access to the outside world during the flooding, including the Ojai area and the cities of Santa Paula, Fillmore, and Piru," reports David Gilmore, AA6VH, ARES District Emergency Coordinator and Ventura County RACES Radio Officer. He said five shelters were opened during the course of the flooding, providing refuge to more than 700 evacuees. Gilmore said the hospital in Ojai also experienced flooding, but the community's flood-initiated isolation would have made it extremely difficult to transfer patients to other facilities.
"An ARES/RACES member stood by at the radio communications room at the hospital during this crisis, while the flooding was dealt with," he said. "Fortunately, the effects of the flooding were able to be contained, and the hospital was able to continue operating."
In the midst of dealing with the La Conchita mudslide and the subsequent--and now suspended--rescue/recovery effort, Ventura County also faced a forecast of additional heavy rainfall plus a prediction that the Santa Felicia dam at Lake Piru might overflow January 11.
"The integrity of the dam itself was never in doubt," Gilmore explained. "However the amount of water flowing into the reservoir was of sufficient volume that if an overflow occurred, the community of Piru--located at the very eastern part of Ventura County and below the dam--was expected to experience considerable damage."
In light of the threat, authorities ordered residents to evacuate to higher ground, and requested Ventura County ARES/RACES to set up radio communications inside the community. Access to Piru was already difficult, Gilmore explained, and once flooding commenced the town was expected to become completely inaccessible.
"We realized that any personnel who went to Piru could become stranded for several days, along with the Piru residents," he said. Nonetheless, Ventura County ARES/RACES members did not hesitate to volunteer for the assignment.
"Steve King, KE6WEZ, immediately packed his vehicle with supplies and extra radio equipment, and headed out," Gilmore said. Although his trip was hampered by closed or flood-damaged roadways, the California Highway Patrol immediately let King through. "He drove the perilous journey along Highway 126 to Piru, navigating through flowing water and mudslides that already littered the road," Gilmore said.
Although two more operators--Dan Halpert, WA6JQB, and Karl Baird, KG6KRN, had also prepared to go, King's vehicle was the last allowed in before nightfall, when the highway became too dangerous to travel.
Once there King spent a busy--and uncomfortable--night supporting communication for the more than 500 flood refugees, who had little in the way of supplies. King was able to help coordinate the delivery of needed provisions. At one point, he also handled traffic for the emergency evacuation of a Piru resident who required medical treatment. The area lost electrical power around 3 AM, and Gilmore says King was instrumental in locating a small generator and getting it on line as dawn approached.
Fortunately, the anticipated heavy rain did not materialize, and the release of water over the dam was held back enough to avoid affecting residential housing. Piru residents were allowed to return home the next morning, and King was able to get back home for a well-deserved rest, Gilmore said.
As the severe weather wound down, so did the Ventura County ARES/RACES activation. Gilmore said the team remains on standby if additional communication problems arise.
Heavy rainfall in California in recent days has resulted in mudslides that left at least two dozen people dead. California Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger, who toured La Conchita January 12, has declared a state of emergency in Ventura County. The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross are cooperating in meeting the needs of those displaced by the flooding and mudslides.
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