The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services ordered an evacuation of roughly 60 homes near the Hueneme Bay Club. The order extended from Bolker Way to Channel Islands Boulevard and Patterson Road to Triton Street.
Residents evacuated in the MedCat were taken to a nearby community building. County emergency personnel were moving other residents to the Oxnard College Gym. Also rescued were about a half-dozen pets including cats, birds and dogs, VanSciver said.
Firefighters were swamped with calls as the heavy rain fell across the Oxnard Plain and Port Hueneme areas, VanSciver said. County dispatchers sent crews to about 275 incidents in a five-hour period starting around 1:30 a.m., he said. On a typical day, about 190 calls are dispatched over 24 hours.
When call volume peaked, some 98 calls were pending, VanSciver said.
An evacuation warning also was issued for homes from West Hemlock to Triton streets and Bolker Way to Patterson Road. A warning means people should be prepared to leave, but the threat is not yet imminent.
In addition, evacuation warnings remain in effect for residents in the Foster Park neighborhood near Camp Chaffee Road and several homes in the area of the 700 block of Grada and Trueno avenues near Camarillo. Those warnings took effect at 9 a.m Wednesday.
Oxnard officials urged residents to stay off city streets for several hours until flood waters recede, saying roads and intersections were heavily impacted by standing water. Attempting to drive through the flood waters can cause vehicles to stall and become trapped, officials said.
Tornado warning expires
As of 2:30 a.m., the tornado warning expired without any tornado reported, authorities said. The super cell had remained over any one location a half hour to an hour, Cohen said. During the intense storm, Port Hueneme recorded close to 4 inches of rainfall and an Oxnard location received 4.5 inches of rain.
Rain is expected to continue throughout the day and a flood advisory remains in effect for much of the county and region.
To sign up for emergency alerts in Ventura County, go to readyventuracounty.org/vc-alert. For information about the storm, evacuation warnings and potential road closures, go to vcemergency.com.
This story may be updated.
Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.
