Residents in Bond Fire burn scar area deal with debris flow as evacuation orders downgraded
In Orange County, evacuation orders were downgraded to voluntary in Silverado, Williams and Modjeska Canyons Monday, though residents in the Bond Fire burn area are still on high alert.
Not long after mandatory evacuation orders were given for the Bond fire burn area, debris started flowing from the hillsides.
"And then we heard the order, so we rushed here so we could get in before they locked us out," Silverado Canyon resident Chuck Wales said.
Wales had sandbags in place, but as the rain picked up, he moved them around to divert water from his property. His next door neighbor, Bianca Kulback, was ready with a berm, and she'd also boarded up her windows.
"Well, recently, we shored up the berm here. This came from debris from the previous mudslide and then we put visqueen over it, put rebar over sandbags to stabilize it and that has really been holding up and keeping the mudslides out because we've been getting about four feet of mud in our yards from the landslides or the mudslides," Kulback said.
Kulback has three dogs and two cats. So, she's not leaving, but her two way radio is nearby.
Up in these remote areas a group of volunteers known as Canyon Watch patrol during floods and fires and keep people informed.
Right across the street, storm water and debris drain into a cement culvert and across the windy canyon road.
"So, it's gradually it's been going from mud to sand to now it's mostly rock and water that comes down, which is a lot more manageable," Wales said, adding that compared to past storms, there's not a lot residents can do when it's mud that's flowing.
After the downpour, OC Public Works crews were quick to clear the roadway.
Silverado Canyon resident Colleen Maxwell said she had no intentions of leaving even when the evacuation orders were mandatory.
"I was planning on staying the whole time just because right here gets blocked and I can't get out anyways or I can't get back in. So, I get a little nervous about that."
More rain is expected, though it's supposed to be scattered and shouldn't lead to debris flows that residents experienced with the earlier storm.
