FLOODS, LANDSLIDES FEARED AFTER OJAI'S DECEMBER FIRE RESIDENTS CAN TAKE STEPS TO PROTEST PROPERTY FOREST REGROWTH WILL TAKE TIME.

Byline: Cecilia Chan Staff Writer

OJAI - The Ranch Fire that scorched 4,371 acres over five wind-swept December days has left residents living downstream in fear of flooding and landslides that could be brought on by winter storms.

Racing against Mother Nature, officials are studying ways to minimize potential problems resulting from the fire that ravaged 64 percent of the Los Padres National Forest.

``Because of the belief we have - based on experience in that area and our knowledge of geology and hydrology - if we were going to get a significant rain event in the area we would have flooding downstream,'' said Kathy Good, spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.

``The vegetation that holds the soil in place is gone temporarily and the soil itself developed hydrophobic characteristics'' - meaning the fire's heat changed the soil so it will repel water for a few years.

The service formed a Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation Team to identify the potential problems. Its findings will be forwarded to Dale Carnathan, program administrator for the Ventura County Sheriff's Department's Emergency Operations Center, which will devise possible solutions.

``We are working under the assumption we don't have any time to spare,'' Carnathan said, despite below-record precipitation this winter. ``What we will be doing is developing a map or a representation of the areas at risk and the residences, commercial properties or public properties in those areas.

``The second step will be to prepare some simple plan that those affected can utilize in the event of a problem following the fire.''

The main areas of concern are properties located downstream from Santa Paula, Wilsie and Thatcher canyons, he said. Potential problems include flooding, landslides, isolation of specific areas, damage to rights-of-way and damage to underground pipes.

``The process that we are undertaking is a living process, so to speak,'' Carnathan said. ``What we develop for this winter may have to be reviewed for next winter, based on growth patterns and if there are further fires up the watershed or any damage that may occur this winter.''

Potential solutions could include erecting retaining walls or fences, stacking sand bags, enlarging culverts, expediting the cleanup of drains or even shutting down pipelines during a heavy storm to prevent damage and leakage, he said.

The next step would be to present the proposals in public hearings tentatively scheduled in mid- to late February. Residents would be told about tools and practices that could help avert problems, Carnathan said.

Authorities also are looking into methods of warning area residents about the approach of a potentially damaging storm - primarily radio and television and, if necessary, the emergency alert system.

Officials also may look at installing a National Weather Service transmitter, although it could prove too expensive.

And finally, authorities could send in emergency units to notify residents by knocking on doors and broadcasting over a public-address system - ``the old fashion, low-tech stuff,'' he said.

And while residents can take steps to protect private property, officials said little can be done to avert damage to National Forest land because of the steep terrain and difficult access.

However, reseeding is unnecessary because the forest begins to recover immediately, Good said. Still, it may be six or seven years before the forest looks the way it did before the fire.

``If you go out now, you begin to see green emerging,'' she said. ``Fire is a natural phenomenon in the chaparral ecological system, so the plants are adapted to fire and used to having fires go through.

``Some of the area burned had been burned previously in the not-too-distant past.'' she said.

Other areas, she said, hadn't burned since the Forest Service began keeping records in 1900, ``so it's really a mosaic.''