“Raising our Light” event provides refuge to those remembering the 23 lives lost during Montecito Debris Flow

"it doesn't feel like seven years, it feels like yesterday," said Community Wellness Team member, Anthony Rodriguez.

It's a day that the Montecito community continues to remember each year.

A sanctuary creating a place of refuge and remembrance was held as many surrounded the Montecito Union School parking lot to remember the 23 names of the lives lost during the January 9th Montecito Debris Flow. The "Raising our Light" event was held Thursday evening as Montecito Fire Department rung out a bell 23 times and 23 candles were lit. A searchlight illuminated the sky as people surrounded the parking lot of the school, remembering those that were lost.

One attendee shared where he was on this day exactly seven years ago.

"It started raining, I turned on my radio and started hearing that the rain was coming down pretty hard, and ended up at the office of emergency management and then found out that we had that debris flow," said Community Wellness Team member, Anthony Rodriguez. "Everybody was scared, not knowing what was going on, we didn't have no way to find out. We were just getting just whatever reports that were coming from the field and it's overwhelming sometimes."

And that overwhelming fear was hit close to home when one of Rodriguez's students from Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Santa Barbara was taken by the debris flow.

Jonathan Benitez was preparing to take his first communion at the church attending classes as a student under Rodriguez.

"My god-daughter had called me and was screaming and crying and she said 'tell me it's not him' and I didn't know what she was talking about until I went into the kitchen and saw that they had found, Jonathan." said Rodriguez.

As time moves on, the January 9th debris flow and the 23 lives that were lost that day will forever live in our hearts