Santa Cruz County prepares for storm

Fire and rain. It could be a dangerous combination this winter for people in the Santa Cruz mountains. Now that the Loma Fire is 100 percent contained, concerns shift to what will come with the season’s first storm expected Friday.

As dozens of fire crews from Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties continue to put out hotspots, they are also turning their attention to fixing areas damaged by firefighting efforts.

“Once the vegetation fire starts to wind down and it’s safe for us to start looking into fire suppression. We have mechanized equipment – bulldozers to help fight the fire,” said Cal Fire Deputy Chief Jake Hess.

Hand crews and dozers will now focus on repair work, leveling land to allow rainwater to flow naturally during the storm.”Down to the low lands of the county, we are anticipating anywhere from ¾ of an inch to 1 inch. And upwards to potentially three inches in the Santa Cruz mountains,” said Hess. “Obviously with the recent Loma Fire, we are concerned about some run off and that’s why we have these fire line suppression repair crews to help knock down some of the dozer line and the piles.”

Crews are installing water bars to provide drainage and keep mud from running into creeks or onto the roadways. South of the fire, public works crews are preparing for slick roadways and checking several hundred drainage structures in hopes of preventing flooding.

“If those aren’t clear, and we get heavy rain and a clogged ditch we could actually lose the road,” said Joel Lacagnin, an engineer with Santa Cruz County Public Works.

Last year’s storms caused millions of dollars of damage in Santa Cruz County. Public works crews hope trees, like one that recently fell onto a house in Aptos, will be able to withstand the storm’s winds.