Oct. 14--SANTA CRUZ -- The first storm of the season -- the biggest in October on the Central Coast since 1962 -- pounded Santa Cruz County with heavy rain and high winds Tuesday, knocking down trees and power lines, flooding roads, closing schools and state parks, touching off mudslides and forcing evacuations.

More than 10 inches of rain fell in parts of the county, with wind gusts approaching 50 mph.

Emergency crews rushed from one problem to another. Thousands lost power, and though no major accidents were reported, there were plenty of minor crashes.

Still, county officials said it could have been worse given the amount of rain that fell and the vulnerability of terrain after large wildland fires scorched the Santa Cruz Mountains this past summer and in 2008.

"We expected the worst," county spokesman Enrique Sahagun said. "But I would say we weathered this storm. It wasn't that bad."

Some of the most serious problems occurred on Swanton Road on the North Coast and on Eureka Canyon Road in South County, where mudslides or the fear of them prompted county officials to order dozens of people from their homes.

Shortly after 4 p.m., the steady rain became too much for a hillside along Eureka Canyon Road, just past Grizzly Flat Road. Mud cascaded down the hill, covering the road and two unoccupied vehicles and temporarily trapping one person inside a house. Cal Fire crews spent three hours trying to reach the home. In the end, the resident

declined to leave.

The slide also blocked Eureka Canyon Road, so fire crews were trying to access the house by taking Summit Road to Ormsby Cutoff Road. Many of the roads in the area are little more than one-lane dirt paths with steep drop-offs.

A crew of four firefighters from Santa Clara trying to reach the home was unable to safely drive out of the area late Tuesday. Rather than risk damaging the vehicle, they were prepared to hunker down for the night.

County officials issued an evacuation order for about 80 homes along Eureka Canyon between Ormsby and Camp Koinonia as a result of the slide.

Smaller slides were reported on Valencia Road near Flume Road and on Soquel-San Jose Road near Laurel View Road.

County and Watsonville officials also warned residents of low-lying areas of South County, especially near the Orchard Park, College Road, Vista Montana, East Lake, Bay Village and lower Riverside Drive neighborhoods, to be alert for possible flooding. Around 5 p.m. Corralitos Creek was at 10.5 feet, a foot shy of flood level.