Mother nature struck residents in La Canada Flintridge's fire-ravaged Paradise Valley area once again Monday.

This time with heavy rains and mudslides.

However, a group of Rock Castle Drive residents banded together to help each other weather the violent storm, which brought between 3 to 4 inches of rainfall to most of the Southland.

At 1:15 p.m., a debris basin in the Paradise Valley area filled to capacity, prompting the Los Angeles County Fire Department to put 64 homes north of the 55400 block of Ocean View Boulevard under mandatory evacuation orders and to advise residents of 42 other homes to leave voluntarily.

No injuries or extensive property damage was reported, despite a number of residents choosing to ignore evacuation orders. 

Emergency personnel said the mitigated damages are a result of the months of preparation that took place after August's Station Fire, which left much of the hillside in La Canada and surrounding areas stripped of vegetation that hold rocks and mud in place during winter storms. Preparations included building debris basins and identifying homes particularly at risk for flooding or mudslides.

When Rock Castle Drive resident Jeff Russell received a warning from the fire department that he may need to leave his home, his first thought was to check on his elderly next door neighbor, who has limited mobility and uses a walker.

"We're just neighbors. I always watch over him," Russell said of the man, who asked not to be identified. "So when (the mudslides) started, I came over and started helping him fix things."

Mud and rocks poured onto the older man's property, burying plants and outdoor furniture and filling his garage.

Before long, Russell's entire family was involved in helping with the clean up and about 10 other neighbors joined in, filling sandbags and building a wall in front of the garage and in the front yard to protect the home, which its owner had built from scratch.

"It was a bonding experience," said teenage neighbor Clara Gross. 

Jack Jesse, another middle-aged neighbor agreed.

"It's been fun" getting to know the neighbors, said Jesse, some of whom he had never met before.

The danger, however is far from over. Three more powerful storms are expected to hit Los Angeles hard this week, and police and fire officials continue to warn people to heed all evacuation orders.

But no matter what the week holds, Rock Castle residents say they'll be just fine.

After all, they have each other.