Santa Barbara County Declares Local Emergency

Source: Santa Barbara County

At 11:30 a.m., Santa Barbara County proclaimed a local emergency due to the severe winter storms forecast to impact many areas of Santa Barbara County. The proclamation was signed by County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato and will be ratified by the Board of Supervisors at its regularly scheduled meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, January 9. [Note: see attached Proclamation]

The declaration of a local emergency will enable the County to utilize all resources necessary to respond to damage that will likely be caused by these storms and to receive any needed funding through the California Disaster Assistance Act and any other State and Federal funding that may be available. This proclamation is for the entire County including all of the affected cities and districts.

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Watch for the county beginning today through Tuesday, January 9, with the storm intensity increasing overnight to include winds of 40 to 70 miles per hour and rain amounts of anywhere from ½ inch to one inch or more per hour. The risk of debris/mud flows and flash flooding is greatly increased in the areas burned in the Thomas, Whittier, Alamo, Sherpa and Rey fires.

The intensity of the Thomas Fire left our mountains with little or no vegetation to prevent the slopes from sliding. Hence, a critical watershed was burned, and following wildfire and the immediate approach of winter storms, the threat of flash floods and debris flows is now 10 times greater than before the fire – they can happen with little or no warning.

A mandatory evacuation order and evacuation warning is in place. It is imperative that the public understands the seriousness of the situation and is prepared. Do not delay in taking action to protect oneself, family and property.

To determine if your property is in the impact area, please refer to an interactive map at www.countyofsb.org. If you do not have access to the Internet, call 211 or outside the 805 area code, call toll free to (800) 400-1572. The county established an additional call center for assistance at (805) 681-5542 or text to (805) 699-0165.