Due to a fast approaching storm, Monday afternoon Santa Barbara County emergency officials ordered mandatory evacuations. People in the extreme risk zonesnear the Thomas, Sherpa and Whittier burn areas must leave by 8 p.m. tonight.
Those living and working in high risk areas are not under mandatory evacuations, but are strongly urged to leave or risk flooding and being cut off from services and utilities. Emergency officials say updated National Weather Service models say rainfall will exceed the half-an-inch per hour threshold.
To find out what zone you are in, go to the website ReadySBC.org.