People in Santa Cruz County prepare for rain
You might need to dust off that umbrella, Sunday’s evening rain kicked open our storm door, leading us into what could be the start of our wet season.
“I’m excited! I think it’s a good thing. We need the rain,” Mike McNulty, from Brookdale, CA.
It's been months since we’ve seen any significant moisture, but that long-awaited rain is back. This week, the Central Coast will be gray and damp as back-to-back systems move in. But people who live in the Santa Cruz Mountains still have concerns about the damage left behind from the CZU Lightning Complex Fire.
“I am a little worried about the burn scars, yeah. I don’t live near one but I’m concerned because it’s upstream, we live right on the river,” continued McNulty.
Those burn scars aren’t just from the CZU Fire, but from other flames that have left their mark, like the Bear Fire from a few years earlier. And when that rain starts to fall, that sparse vegetation in those areas continues to bring havoc to those who live there.
“I could have trees come down at any moment, I could have rocks come down at any moment. Bear creek road you never know what to expect. It could be rocks right around the next corner,” Jermey Lincoln, from Boulder Creek.
During rainstorms, Highway 17 also sees its fair share of debris. However, California’s Highway Patrol says it's not the main cause of accidents when the roads start to get wet, rather it's speed.
“We want to make sure that everybody slows down. We haven't had rain in a while, so slowing down to make sure that we're getting enough space for the car in front of you and give you enough time to be able to react.”
CHP will also use traffic brakes, that’s when a patrol vehicle will go in between the lanes to shuttle drivers to help slow the traffic flow. And when the weather is expected to get bad, CHP will usually have more officers on patrol. This week’s storms are just the start of our rainy season, season number two for those living in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
“We survived one winter, so we’ll see how it goes this year,” James Andruss, from Ben Lomond.
People who live in the Santa Cruz Mountains told me there are usually signs warning about the potential for debris flows, so far they have not seen any this year.
