Santa Barbara, Montecito Suffered Major Storm Damage And Many Were Rescued

Montecito, in Santa Barbara County, California is facing another disaster as a huge storm hit the town on Monday. As the town is getting flooded, the residents here are asked to evacuate and are getting rescued. 

Five years ago in January 2018, Southern California witnessed a deadly mudslide and flooding which took the lives of around 17 people.

Due to heavy rain, new rivers of mud and debris ran down the hillsides resulting in demolishing the homes of the residents in Santa Barbara County. This incident took place only a few weeks after the wildfires in the same location. 

Heavy Rains Caused A Big Disaster Earlier And Still Threaten Life Now

After 5 years, the people here are facing the same situation which could bring another risk if not taken seriously. Montecito is a small country with around 8,200 residents who are trapped between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

With the current situation, these people are asked to evacuate since these heavy rains have already caused a huge disaster earlier and are still a huge threat to lives over here. 

For honoring the lives that were lost in the disaster five years ago on January 9, 2018, a community remembrance program was organized.

But as the situation was getting worse just like those days, the event got canceled. Also, the sudden storm alert made the first responders spend the whole day calling out for evacuations. 

Also, the evacuations were made quicker foreseeing the flooded roadways the town had witnessed earlier. As per the Office of Emergency Services of the state, the disaster brought a huge amount of mud and large boulders the size of a house rolled over the Santa Barbara hillsides destroying around 100+ homes and blowing out a gas main.    

The Fire Department of Montecito tweeted that it is normal to have fear, anxiety, sadness, etc in this challenging situation just like what they experienced 5 years ago.

They continued that unlike the 1/9 Debris Flow, the present weather is getting worse and all these alarms and evacuations going around in the town could certainly make the residents stressed.   

As of the latest reports, the small town has received 9.89 inches within 24 hours and this has changed the streets into rivers full of mud, trees, and all that comes in its way.

It has even blocked major roadways that connect to other cities which makes evacuation a little harder than expected.

Now, the rescue team is using boats and other water rescue measures in order to help out people who are stuck in different areas. 

Captain Scott Safechuck, a representative for a Santa Barbara County Incident Management Team declared that Montecito is one of the towns which is extremely affected by the hard storm, and as per the rescue team, around 200+ incidents were reported by this time.

Also, evacuations are still ongoing in some residential areas like Carpinteria, Summerland, and the city of Santa Barbara.

Also Read: Parts Of Greene County Had Damage As A Result Of Severe Storms- Report

The Santa Barbara County Officials urged the citizens to leave the city as the condition could get even worse in the coming days.

Again, if they are not planning to leave the residence as they feel safer there, then they must prepare themself to face any situation and be sure of the household for a couple of days.

Also, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown advised the people to stay in a secure place as it is not safe to travel anytime as there are chances for rockslides, flooded pathways, and sudden rise of water levels.

Residents belonging to the senior living facilities were asked to shift to the top floor in order to keep them safe from the possibility of a flood.   

Recently, American comedian Ellen DeGeneres posted a video on her social media showing her followers how dangerous the condition is in Montecito.

In the video, the 64-year-old host shows raging water that was located near her house and explains that the recent storm that hit on Monday totally affected the whole area.