Edhat Staff
Update by the edhat staff
4:30 p.m., February 6, 2024
The County of Santa Barbara Planning & Building inspector has determined residents can return to their residences after inspection of the apartment buildings in the 6700 block of Del Playa Drive, Isla Vista.
An exclusion fence is installed to restrict access to the bluff patio for safety.
Evacuation Efforts Underway due to Eroding Isla Vista Cliff
By the edhat staff
11:00 a.m., February 6, 2024
Isla Vista residents are being evacuated from their homes due to dangerous erosion on Tuesday morning.
Around 9:50 a.m., a large chunk of the bluff in the 6700 block of Del Playa Drive broke off and slide to the beach below, according to Santa Barbara County Fire Captain Scott Safechuck.
The cliff erosion took a big section of an apartment’s oceanfront patio with it prompting the evacuation of four units that has displaced at least 45 people.
There were no reported injuries.
Santa Barbara County Fire Department is conducting a drone operation to capture footage of the bluff and apartments to assess the severity of the erosion.
6700 Block of Del Playa, Isla Vista: Santa Barbara County Fire Department drone operations: Filmed by drone pilots Engineer Bonillo and Engineer LeFebre. pic.twitter.com/sbMldQ6cjB
— Scott Safechuck (@SBCFireInfo) February 6, 2024
This incident comes after another storm series that brought a record amount of rain and “life threatening floods” to the area, according to the National Weather Service.
Evacuation orders were issued on Saturday for areas near creeks and burn scars. The County and State Governor both issued emergency proclamation orders due to the storm damage.
On Monday afternoon, the City of Santa Barbara’s Parks and Recreation Department stated a section of Shoreline Park’s bluff had eroded and slid to the beach below.
“Heavy rain can erode and destabilize bluffs. Always stay away from the edge, adhere to all posted closures, and never go around fences. They are for your safety! Rockfalls and slides can happen at any time, so always use caution when walking on the beach below,” the Parks Department stated on social media.
⚠️ Heavy rain can erode and destabilize bluffs.⚠️
Always stay away from the edge, adhere to all posted closures, and never go around fences. They are for your safety!
Rockfalls and slides can happen at any time, so always use caution when walking on the beach below.
#CAwx pic.twitter.com/ix14UUZfcD— SB Parks and Rec (@sbparksandrec) February 6, 2024
County Supervisor Laura Capps stated the Tuesday morning incident shows that storms underscore the pressing need for bluff and cliff safety.
“I am committed to do everything we can to keep our community safe, including constructing higher, durable fences along bluff properties in Isla Vista and educating students about the inherent dangers. While the heaviest of the rains is behind us, please remain exceedingly vigilant as bluff erosion continues to be a real threat,” said Capps in a public statement.
Captain Safechuck stated the evacuation efforts and drone inspection are underway with more information to come.
Additionally, an edhat reader captured photos of a tree that fell from a cliff onto Hendry’s Beach during the storm.
They still look pretty dangerous to me; hard to believe they were deemed safe after just a few hours.
Nature has been nibbling there for years.
The inevitable creeps closer.
“Time and tide wait for no man.” Chaucer
45 people in 4 units????
That’s at least 11 people per apartment.
It’s 4 apartment buildings. At least 15 bedrooms, possibly more. Hard to tell.
I use to work offshore, up and down the coast. At times we traveled by boat long distances to get to work sites, usually close to the shoreline. It always amazed me how many other cities and county’s allowed property owners to protect their land from the ocean on slaught. Piling up rip rap at the base of the cliffs, bluffs. Land owners trying to protect their land, cuties and county’s trying to protect their land and parks. Just walk down the beach at Summerland. Heading south you’ll come across a few areas where the railroad tracks up on the bluffs are getting eroded. Well the railroad dumped riprap to protect the bluffs. This is what you do do help your community not build taller fences.