Tag archives: storm
While heavy rains are not unfamiliar to locals these days, this past storm came with a few surprises, including hail at the Sheffield Drive undercrossing and a sinkhole on the 2400 block of Sycamore Canyon that led to a gas line break. As well as a slump in the road on Barker Pass. The areas […]
Dear Editor [Gwyn Lurie], You wrote, “And I say, what do we have to lose by giving him [Roy Lee] a chance to prove it? Seems not much.” (Montecito Journal, Feb. 1-8, 2024) It’s not a chance of losing anything. It’s a chance to gain a lot by electing Roy Lee 1st District County Supervisor! […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Board Meeting, Montecito Fire Chief David Neels, along with reps from the Sheriff’s Department, Flood Control, and Office of Emergency Management, gave a presentation on the upcoming winter, which is expected to be a heavy rainy season. Chief Neels presented a recap of last winter, in which there was historical […]
An EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for today, Tuesday March 14, 2023, for the identified properties and areas in south Santa Barbara County associated with the Alisal, Cave, and Thomas Fires due to existing debris flow hazards and flooding. Everyone in the current Thomas Fire Storm Impact Consideration Map properties are being ordered to evacuate. Click here to access an interactive evacuation […]
On Monday, the County held a press conference to thank the California Army National Guard, which has been deployed here since January 12 to clear the Randall Road Debris Basin. Darcel Elliott from Supervisor Das Williams’ office had let us know they were coming, and asked us if the Guard could use our office and […]
Dear Montecito, I took a walk on Miramar Beach on January 6, about 20 hours after the first of the storm system had left our local area. Now in general I find writing about the beach to be a tricky thing. Perhaps because it is well-worn territory or simply too easy to become sentimental. Perhaps […]
Exactly five years ago on this day, I was working with The Partnership for Resilient Communities (TPRC) to help develop a plan to contain Montecito’s occasional debris flows. Since a lot of folks are relatively new to Montecito, now is a particularly poignant time to look back at where we’ve come from, what’s been achieved […]
I’m sure I’m not alone in being relieved that our community did not have to be evacuated during the storm this past weekend. Still, I was on pins and needles wondering whether that scary alarm would suddenly come blaring from my phone, informing me it was time to pile my family, my dogs, and a […]
A mysterious oil slick in the waters off Summerland Beach continues to be closely monitored by multiple agencies, while beach access remains closed to the public. According to Summerland Citizens Association Board President Phyllis Noble, the oil slick, which appeared earlier this month following heavy rains, now appears to be breaking up and no additional […]
Montecito Association’s Annual Meeting was postponed last week because of the storm and evacuation, instead meeting on Wednesday, January 11. The Board of Directors and attendees were briefed on evacuations and flood damage by Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Commander Brad Welch, and Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi. Chief Taylor thanked the Board […]
The following was written after having to evacuate rapidly, with no warning, at 1 pm on January 9, 2023, from the lower Mission Creek area, where I live. Sunday night, it was a bucolic stream. It turned torrential a few hours later and turned my street into a swift river. For the past five years, […]
It’s been a wet and wild week in Montecito and much of Santa Barbara County, as unrelenting rainstorms came through the region, prompting two mandatory evacuations since January 4. The storm earlier this week, coming on the heels of over 20 inches of rain in the last 30 days, caused significant flooding and mudflow, but […]
In my end-of-year letter, I wrote about my habitual January dread. Or as I sometimes like to call it, Janu-scary. And then January 9th reared its ugly head. Again. The coincidence of Mother Nature’s repeat performance was, to say the least, eerie. Let’s just say this is one time I didn’t enjoy being prescient. As […]
Joan Hartmann, the Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor, didn’t even hesitate when asked why a portion of her district was evacuated with the Monday and Tuesday rain along the South Coast. “We learned a lot from Montecito,” Hartmann said. In the wake of October’s Alisal Fire that destroyed thousands of acres of land, the […]
Last Thursday officials held a public meeting at Montecito Union School to discuss emergency information prior to the winter storm season. Closing in on the fourth anniversary of the catastrophic debris flow of January 9, 2018, First District Supervisor Das Williams says the community’s level of resiliency, awareness, and communication is better than ever before, […]
December 4 marks four years since the Thomas Fire began its treacherous march from Santa Paula to the hills of Carpinteria and Montecito. We all remember the devastating debris flow that occurred just more than a month later. Every winter since the 1/9 Debris Flow, Montecito Fire has partnered with our local first responder and […]
Our wedding was nothing that I expected and more than I could have hoped for: Jason and I were married in front of close family on a Wednesday, with a small reception on Saturday. And if I had to choose one moment to sum up the week, it was the time I snuck out of […]
With over a week of wet weather, Montecito debris basins, ring nets, and creek channels held up extremely well, according to Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor, who gave us an update on the weather earlier this week. Crews from County Flood Control and Public Works were in Montecito Tuesday morning, assessing the impact of the […]
Earlier this week the Ashley Road bridge reopened after being closed for more than two years following the catastrophic events of the 1/9 debris flow. This Thursday, February 13, a reopening ceremony will be held on the bridge at 10:30 am. “Each step in the recovery and rebuilding process is a reason to celebrate,” said […]
