Flash floods overwhelmed a portion of Highway 166 with mud and water on Oct. 16, trapping approximately 100 vehicles in the area and shutting down the two-lane highway east of Santa Maria for three hours. California Highway Patrol told the Sun that responders “assisted numerous disabled motorists” on the scene but that there were no rescues and no injuries.
“Nobody was stuck in mud, vehicles were just unable to pass due to the mud and water,” said Dave Zaniboni, public information officer at the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Torrential rain overtook natural waterways and produced heavy runoff, spreading water and mud across Highway 166 in an area between Cottonwood Canyon and Spanish Ranch. The entire highway was closed as a result.
SB County Fire Department, CHP, Los Padres Forest Services, Santa Barbara County Sherriff’s Department, and Caltrans all responded to the flooding. Zaniboni said there were fire engines and bulldozers on site, as well as a helicopter and water rescue crews. Once the rain eased, responders were able to clear out the mud and reopen the highway by 8 p.m.
The impact of the flooding was made worse by the extraordinary traffic on Highway 166 that day, which was a byproduct of traffic diverted away from Interstate 5 and Highway 58. Flooding and mudslides closed those highways too, as thunderstorms pummeled Southern California late last week. Traffic flow throughout the state was impacted.
Highway 166 has a perilous history with flooding. Two CHP officers were killed in flash floods during the 1998 El Niño winter, when their patrol car was swept away by flooding at the Cuyama River. Highway 166 is named, “CHP Officers Irvine and Stovall Memorial Highway” in their honor.
Officials today expressed concern about how a 2016 El Niño could cause similar damage.
“Absolutely [it’s a concern],” CHP Officer Matt Kenny said.
Kenny and Zaniboni stressed that SB County is doing “everything it can” to prepare for an El Niño, such as clearing out culverts and storm drains so storm water can be effectively discharged. But there’s only so much that can be done to prepare, they said. Zaniboni and Kenny lamented that the effects of rain are exacerbated by how the drought has changed land conditions.
“Everything is so dry out there, the minute water hits it turns into mud,” Kenny said of the area surrounding Highway 166.
Zaniboni warned residents not to risk driving through flooded roads in the event of heavy rains.
“Cars are not meant to drive through 2 feet of water,” Zaniboni said. “You don’t know what’s underneath the water, and it doesn’t take much to overwhelm the car.”
El Niño or no El Niño this winter, responders are expecting the worst.
“We’re ready,” Kenny said.
This article appears in Oct 22-29, 2015.
