UPDATE 3/2/18 AT 7:00 A.M. Montecito and other areas of the Santa Barbara coast remain under mandatory evacuation orders this morning, but the bulk of the storm has passed with no major damage. The flash flood warning for Santa Barbara County has expired. The CHP is reporting minor debris flows on SR 192 and Romano Canyon, and a short section of Highway 33 near Ojai is closed due to sliding.
UPDATE 5/2/18 AT 5:10 A.M. Montecito and other areas of the Santa Barbara coast remain under mandatory evacuation orders this morning. Many first responders and fire companies from around the Central Coast are standing by. At 4:45 a.m., Santa Barbara County tweeted the storm is not more intense than predicted and a closure of Highway 101 is not expected. The storm has brought significant rainfall to Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.
Emergency officials in Santa Barbara County have issued a mandatory evacuation order for the Santa Barbara coast due to an approaching storm. Effective as of noon Thursday, March 1, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office says individuals must start packing up and be out of the evacuation areas by 6 p.m. Thursday evening.
The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy rain that could trigger more dangerous debris flows and mudslides in the Santa Barbara foothills burned by the recent Thomas, Sherpa and Whittier fires.
The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara. Large animals can also be housed there. To find out if your neighborhood is in the mandatory evacuation areas, visit www.ReadySBC.org.
Sandbags and sand can be found at the Santa Barbara Flood Control Shop, 4568 County Road in Santa Barbara, and at the Montecito Fire Protection District at Lower Manning Park, 449 San Ysidro Road in Montecito.
