Tag archives: debris nets
As we wave the flags and cheer for our kids at our annual 4th of July parade celebrating America’s call for independence, we cannot ignore the reality that we are governed by a county that is totally devoid of local long-range strategic planning for Montecito, including coordination of disparate community efforts. Under the present system […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee meeting, the committee heard from Flood Control Deputy Director Tom Fayram, who gave an update on the Randall Road debris basin project. The project, which includes the acquisition of seven parcels on Randall Road and one on East Valley Road, will offer improved debris catchment from San […]
In an update from the Partnership for Resilient Communities, executive director Pat McElroy reports that work continues on the Swiss-made, steel ring nets being installed high up in San Ysidro, Buena Vista, and Cold Spring Canyons. After successful anchor tests, helicopters have been moving thousands of pounds of equipment and supplies from a staging area […]
Last week the construction on the first of six steel ring nets began in Montecito, with a helicopter delivering the components to San Ysidro canyon last Wednesday. Drilling work began on the anchors on Monday, according to Partnership for Resilient Communities Executive Director Pat McElroy. The project, which includes the installation of six Swiss-made steel […]
At a gathering at the upper village green on Monday, March 18, the founders of the Partnership For Resilient Communities welcomed dozens of members of the community who have given funds towards the installation of Swiss-made steel ring nets slated to be installed in the coming weeks. Six of the nets will be installed in […]
Earlier this week, the Partnership for Resilient Communities announced the international arrival of the first of six Swiss steel ring nets slated for the canyons above Cold Springs, Buena Vista, and San Ysidro Creeks. The first net will be installed in San Ysidro Creek above Randall Road and the San Ysidro Ranch; installation of the […]
A Non-Scientific View Last week, Montecito Journal’s front-page photo of the Romero debris catch basin filled with tons of rocks, coupled with your words stating Montecito had fared the last major storm “very well,” left me wondering why you are still writing about the installation of several steel nets. If what we have in our […]
Last Friday, February 1, nearly 1,500 residents were evacuated in anticipation of a predicted storm that was forecasted to exceed debris flow rain threshold rates in the foothills above Montecito. The storm, which produced the most rain in the early morning hours of Saturday, did indeed hit threshold levels estimated at 1 inch per hour, […]
On Tuesday, January 22, over 100 Montecito residents gathered at Montecito Union School to hear from the Partnership for Resilient Communities, the group of private citizens who have set out to move forward with installing environmentally-friendly Swiss-made steel nets, which catch debris as it comes down the hillsides. “When the events of last year happened, […]
If you do nothing else this week, pull out your pen and write a check to the Partnership for Resilient Communities, or go to the website (partnershipsb.org) to make a tax-deductible donation through the Santa Barbara Foundation. Contributions can be as low as $10 or as high as $250,000. The future of Montecito may depend […]
This is being written as much of Montecito is under a Mandatory Evacuation Notice. Tuesday, January 15, at 10 am sharp, Montecito Inn hotel guests were required to check out, as were Four Seasons Biltmore guests. Traffic continued to move along critical roadways for a while, but many of those roads began to be closed […]
Next Wednesday, January 16, the Partnership for Resilient Communities and Montecito Union School’s superintendent Anthony Ranii will host an informational community meeting to discuss realistic opportunities to mitigate future debris flows. In late December, the Partnership received emergency permits to proceed with the installation of 11 debris flow control nets in San Ysidro, Buena Vista, […]
While most of us in Montecito were making merry over the holiday season, former City of Santa Barbara Fire Chief, Pat McElroy, who is now Executive Director of the Partnership (Partnership for Resilient Communities), was pounding the halls of government, along with Montecito land use attorney Joe Cole, permitting guru Suzanne Elledge, and local government […]
It is more than obvious that 2018 was a pivotal year for Montecito and its residents. The first week of the year, we were recovering from the Thomas Fire, which weeks earlier had suffocated Montecito and Santa Barbara in smoke and ash while scorching nearly 282,000 acres from Ventura to Santa Barbara, including ten structures […]
While keeping a wary eye on the weather this winter, residents of Montecito are watching their rainfall charts, fearful of a repeat of heavy storms and mandatory evacuation notices. Seared in our minds are personal memories of the 1/9 disaster when a massive debris flow destroyed or damaged 470 homes in Montecito, and brutally took […]
At last week’s Montecito Association (MA) board meeting, Brett Matthews with the Partnership for Resilient Communities reported that his group has filed an emergency permit to install 15 temporary steel nets for five canyons in Montecito; the MA board voted unanimously to support the group’s permit application, agreeing to send a letter to the director […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, Pat McElroy from the Partnership for Resilient Communities reported that his group funded another lidar radar flight over Montecito, which showed 71 sites in the foothills that would be appropriate for steel-wire ring nets to slow down or stop debris from falling. McElroy said they are […]
The Montecito community faces a difficult 2018-2019 winter season. If we get too little rain, we will return to drought worries; too much rain and Montecito residents face evacuation and the possibility of additional mud and rock flows. Of the two perils – severe drought versus debris flow – the more pressing danger is the […]
