| First of all, I want to sincerely thank every single person who evacuated and otherwise followed guidance from safety officials regarding sheltering in place and staying off the roads. Because so many followed the orders, our first responders were able to focus their attention on those who most needed it. Thanks to your efforts there have been no fatalities or serious injuries reported.
Effective immediately, all evacuation orders are lifted for the Alisal, Cave, and Thomas fire burn scars and all of Montecito, Toro Canyon, Padaro, and Carpinteria. There are still restricted areas to allow for the draining of storm water and clearing of debris. In particular, North Jameson Lane will be closed from Sheffield to Olive Mill. Roads that are only accessible from Jameson will be accessible to residents only. Show proof of residency and safety officials will let you through.
City of Santa Barbara officials have assessed the whole city and the city is actually in good shape considering some of the scary images we saw yesterday. The parts of the city still impacted include the lower Eastside, lower Westside, the Waterfront, Sycamore Canyon, Old Coast Highway, and Coast Village Road. The city is working on repopulation plans for those areas.
Southbound 101 is OPEN all the way to Ventura (We are trying to get clarity on if the 101 is open past Ventura). At least one lane northbound is expected to be open by 5pm. County road closures are being updated constantly and can be found here. City of Santa Barbara road closures can be found here.
All debris basins are full or partially full. We are working with the State Office of Emergency Services to get federal support to get the debris basins cleaned out as quickly as possible. Work to clear the basins will start tomorrow at the latest. We need to clear about 500,000 cubic yards of material, which I know we are all familiar with. This will mean patience and understanding as trucks move material out of the basins. Material will begin being taken to the beach tomorrow. The material will be tested to ensure it is safe before being taken to the beach and any unsafe material will removed.
Now for the good news: We are projecting that Cachuma Lake will be full by the end of the week!
I am so grateful for this community and being here with all of you. I know many of us have felt like we are cursed with another event happening on January 9th. After getting through this, I will tell you that we are blessed to have gotten through yet another threat to our community together. As more information becomes available, I will continue to share with you. You can also always check readysbc.org for up to date info as well.
As always, please contact my office with any issues that may arise at 805-568-2186
Click here to see video below for full press conference
|
