County Gears Up for Rain, Inconvenience

Bouts of rain and possible thunderstorms are expected to complicate life in Orange County until Thursday afternoon, and cities throughout the county are taking no chances.

Understandably wary of storms due to the damage inflicted by last year’s record-setting rain, cities have put their emergency operation centers on alert and have sand and bags ready at fire stations for residents who want them.

“We’re waiting with our fingers crossed,” said Laguna Fire Chief William Edmundson, whose city was hardest hit by last year’s 13 inches of rain. “But I think we’re in pretty good shape--barring a major disaster.”

The storm system, the second to hit this year, was scheduled to arrive about midnight Tuesday, said Robb Kaczmarek with WeatherData Inc., which tracks weather for The Times. “This could be the heaviest of the storm season,” Kaczmarek said of the rain that was expected to bring an average of one inch into the area. The storm system should leave the county by midday Thursday, he said.

Although relieved to hear that the storm, expected to bring three inches of rain to Ventura County, will hit Orange County more gently, municipal and county officials still have been preparing for the worst. They have been supervising cleaning of storm drains and waterways to prevent possible flooding.

“All of our catch basins are cleaned out,” said Philip Pierce, street division manager of the city of Orange. “The storm drains are cleaned so we’re ready for any storm that will come.”

In the Seal Beach community of Surfside, a makeshift barrier continued to hold back the ocean from homes that sit on the severely eroded beach. Surfside’s barrier has withstood storms and 7-foot high tides this winter.

“We’re going to monitor the progress to see how things are going out there,” said Steve Badum, Seal Beach public works director. “It’s been holding up well so far.”

The California Department of Transportation has finished installing a higher-capacity storm drain system beneath the rebuilt segments of the Santa Ana Freeway through Orange County. The new system, with 50% more holding capacity, more powerful pumps and bigger pipes, means less chance of flooding on the freeway, Caltrans said.

WeatherData predicts partial clearing for Thursday through late Saturday, when the next storm system is expected to head this way. High temperatures will be in the 60s, with lows in the mid- to upper-40s, Kaczmarek said.