Much of the coast between Santa Barbara and Ventura remained crippled one week after a winter storm triggered major flooding and debris flows that destroyed more than 100 homes and damaged twice that number.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said on Jan. 14 that at least 20 people had died due to the storm. Two days before, Santa Barbara Cottage Health Hospital announced that of the 28 injured, 11 patients remained in care and only one was in critical condition. As of the Sun’s press time, three individuals were still missing, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, National Weather Service, and the U.S. Forest Service had issued warnings in the days leading up to the storm, alerting the public of the chance for flooding and debris flows. They all blamed the Thomas Fire—the largest wildfire in California’s recorded history—for adversely affecting soil in the mountains and hill country above the communities of Carpinteria, Montecito, Summerland, and Santa Barbara.
On Jan. 5, Jason Kean, a research hydrologist for the USGS, told the Sun that heat from such fires changes the soil’s properties so water can’t infiltrate it as well as it would under normal conditions. He said the water-repellent soil was also more prone to erosion.
“You are breaking those bonds in the protective layer of the soil—the microfibers that were in the soil—that’s gone,” Kean said.
As of the Sun’s press time, Highway 101 remained closed south of Carpinteria and north of Ventura. CalTrans estimated the major roadway would be opened within the next week. Images and videos from emergency responders on Jan. 15 showed large portions of the highway completely submerged in mud and water. Highway 192 also remained closed in “multiple locations,” according to county staff.
At least 115 homes north of and adjacent to Montecito were listed as destroyed by Santa Barbara County on Jan. 16. More than 240 homes were listed as damaged, while 3,000 homes still remained threatened due to potential debris flows and flooding from future storms.
Natural gas remained shut off for the majority of the city as of Jan. 16. The county said in a statement that service would most likely not be restored until the end of the week. Power outages continued to impact more than 6,000 homes and businesses in the area. Additionally, all residents in the Montecito Water District, including Summerland, were advised to boil or disinfect their water before cooking or drinking.
Bottled water is being distributed at three locations from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for the district’s residents: at the Montecito Fire Station No. 2 at 2300 Sycamore Canyon Road and Cold Spring Road; the shopping center at the southwest corner of East Valley Road and San Ysidro Road (Upper Village); and the Summerland Post Office at 2245 Lillie Ave.
On Jan. 11, Santa Barbara County’s health officer announced several beaches were closed to the public due to high concentrations of bacteria from the storm’s runoff. The beaches included Butterfly, Hammond, Carpinteria State, Rincon, Goleta, El Capitan, and East Beach at both Mission and Sycamore creeks.
“There are unknown amounts of untreated sewage and possible chemical contaminants in the water and sand,” the officer said in a statement. “If the sand or water look or smell out of the ordinary, avoid contact.”
That same day, the county announced new mandatory evacuation orders for Montecito, particularly parts of the city west of Sheffield Drive, East Valley Road, and Ladera Lane, as well as east of Olive Mill and Hot Springs Road, along with all areas north of the ocean and south of the National Forest boundary in that section.
“You will not be allowed to return and it may take one to two weeks before evacuations are lifted,” the county’s joint information center said in a statement alerting the public of the order.
As of the Sun’s press time, the only evacuation orders lifted over the weekend were for the Whittier, Sherpa, and Alamo fires burn areas.
On Jan. 12, Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) called on President Donald Trump to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s appeal to reconsider the denial of individual assistance funds for both the Thomas Fire and the flooding and mudslides in the Major Disaster Declaration area.
“The devastation from the Thomas Fire and subsequent mudslides have taken the ultimate toll on our community, claiming dozens of lives, destroying hundreds of homes, and hurting small businesses on the Central Coast,” Carbajal said in a statement. “Individual assistance funding is critical to supporting the victims of the tragedies as our community rebuilds and recovers.”
The president previously approved a Major Disaster Declaration providing public assistance for the fires and subsequent mudslides, but denied California’s request for individual assistance.
On Jan. 16, Carbajal announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had amended the disaster declaration to include individual assistance for Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.
His office then released a “fire recovery guide” on the congressman’s website. The guide includes information about the current resources available to victims, including FEMA assistance, disaster unemployment assistance, replacing lost documents, housing assistance to individuals and households, small business administration assistance, and legal aid.
“As residents and business owners begin to recover, this guide will hopefully help individuals, families, and businesses navigate the federal resources available to our community as we recover from one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory,” Carbajal said.
This article appears in Jan 18-25, 2018.