SILVERADO CANYON – The cloistered Silverado Canyon community of about 2,000 has been on edge since a wildfire in September 2014 burned 960 acres of trees and shrubs on steep slopes, exposing soil to be washed away by rain.
On Tuesday, an electric sign informing residents of the voluntary evacuation order and flash flood watch was placed at the start of Silverado Canyon Road, the only way in and out of the community.
For the most part, however, the town dodged a bullet during Tuesday’s storm. There were occasional rocks that rolled down burned hills onto Silverado Canyon Road, the only way in and out of the community.
And, for a brief time, a 15-foot wide swath of mud, debris and water covered the east bound lanes of the road near the entrance to the U.S. National Forest in the afternoon.
But OC Public Works crews were in place to remove the material blocking the road. Residents nearby rushed to pile sandbags around their property.
Things worked out OK, but residents know this was only El Nino’s opening punch.
“We’re all very nervous,” said Connie Nelson, who lives in Silverado Canyon. “We just don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s no way to predict.”
Nelson is the chairwoman of Canyon Watch, a group of volunteers who patrol their neighborhoods to prevent wildfires during natural disasters.
“You pray for the best and you prepare for everything else. So we are preparing.”
Monday night she moved eight horses — three of hers plus the neighbors’ horses — from their property to a barn close to the front of the canyon and the county’s large animal evacuation center.
Nelson, who lives at the foot of the hill, had put sandbags behind the house and covered the windows with plywood.
Judy and Robert Walters had their living room flood with mud, debris and water during an unexpected, record-setting rain in July.
Since that flooding, the couple remodeled the house, taking out the back door where the mud came in. They placed sandbags around their house two months ago in preparation of the El Nino season.
Judy Walters said she and her husband were not intending to evacuate Tuesday, but just in case they had prepared bags packed with important documents, valuables and clothing.
“If anything changes, we’d be out of here.”
Robert Walters, donning a yellow rain jacket and pants, patrolled around his house in the pouring rain every few hours Tuesday to make sure sandbags were in place.
“I trust the Lord for my safety,” Judy Walters, 76, said. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to sit here and do nothing. But right now, I feel very safe.”
Because the Walters were in a particularly vulnerable area, their fellow canyon residents called them Tuesday to check their welfare and offered them shelter if needed.
“I’m really worried for those neighbors in the burned area,” said Valerie Maldonado, who has lived in the canyon for 16 years.
Deanna Spangler, owner of Silverado Canyon Market, the only retail store in the community, said sales were slow on Tuesday, guessing residents didn’t want to leave their homes
“That’s OK,” she said. “We just want everybody to be safe. We’re just here to be supportive and be here for everybody.”
A notice of Voluntary Evacuations that had been in place throughout the day was lifted at 5 pm on Tuesday.
Residents here know Tuesday’s rain was just the beginning of the one of the biggest El Nino seasons and things may get a lot worse over the next couple months.
“We understand the dangers and challenges of living here, and we won’t give it up for the beauty of this place,” Maldonado said.
