| This EVACUATION ORDER applies to the following area(s): west of Las Flores Canyon, east of Mariposa Reina, south of West Camino Cielo, and down to the ocean.
No evacuation warnings have been issued for Montecito and the storm is still well below what we would consider a “saturation event.” Therefore, we do not anticipate any severe impacts in Montecito. The heaviest rain is expected from 6pm Monday – 6am Tuesday. 1-3″ of rain will fall across the South Coast with 3-6″ possible in the mountains/foothills.
Commuters using US-101 through the Gaviota Coast and CA-154 on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning should check road conditions, and consider working remotely if that is an option.
I would like to thank all of those who attended the 2021 Winter Storm Readiness Community meeting and also the Montecito Fire Department for organizing this year’s meeting. This meeting was held in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, Santa Barbara County Flood Control, National Weather Service, and Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection District. Representatives from each agency presented and discussed the status of our watershed, debris flow risk level, winter storm outlook and preparedness measures. The maps that were a key part of the discussion can be found at https://readysbc.org/maps/ .
If you would like to view this meeting, it is posted on the County of Santa Barbara’s CSBTV20 YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/CSBTV20 titled Santa Barbara County Winter Storm Readiness Community Meeting.
It is so important to be prepared and to have a plan in place for any evacuation warning or order that may come. Below are 10 ways that you and your family can be prepared and protect yourselves now.
10 Steps to Protect Yourself Now
1. Sign up for emergency alerts at (click here to register).
2. Monitor weather reports and consider your safety risk when a weather advisory is issued.
3. Be prepared to leave before roads, creeks and waterways are flowing, or go to a neighbor on high ground or shelter in-place.
4. Know all your local access roads and understand that some may be blocked by debris. Have an alternate plan or route. Mudslides can occur even days after a storm when the ground is saturated.
5. NEVER drive or walk into floodwaters or go around barricades. It is impossible to know how deep the water is just by looking at it.
6. Consider installing sandbags, straw wattles (rolled erosion control netting filled with straw), and other methods to divert water and reduce erosion on your property. Santa Barbara County Public Works offers sandbags.
For locations and information, call County Flood Control at (805) 568-3440 or go to www.countyofsb.org/pwd/sandbag.sbc.
7. Refer to the Homeowner Guide to Flood Prevention and Response (español).
8. Flood Insurance: Most homeowners insurance does not cover floods from natural disasters. Make sure your home is protected. Refer to Flood After Fire ( español).
9. Have an Emergency Plan and a Disaster Kit ready to go. For more information, read the additional resources here as the Debris Flow Survival Guide ( español).
10. Our Public Works Department has much more information on storm preparedness.think about inserting phrases like “for a limited time only” or “only 7 remaining”! |
