Montecito mudslide survivor shares his motto: ‘Be responsible and get out of the way.’

When the heavy rains come, local experts and residents watch weather warnings and emergency alerts around the clock.

Arguably, a more powerful message is coming from a survivor of the January 9 mudslides and debris flow.

“We were just kind of huddled up thinking we need to hold on as long as we can,” said Montecito resident Geoff Gray.

NewsChannel 3’s Beth Farnsworth met Gray just hours after he and his wife were plucked from the roof of a home in the Glenn Oaks neighborhood along with their dog, Hank, the morning of the disaster.

The house and its owner, Rebecca Riskin, a Montecito realtor, did not survive.

Beth met up with Gray and Hank at Gray’s shoe business in Goleta, 10 weeks after the debris flow and in the face of another significant storm.

“After going through all that, I don’t wish it on anybody. It’s a terrible experience,” Gray said.

He shared his new motto for those living near burn zones: “Be responsible and get out of the way. And hope for the best.”

“You can’t stop any of this,” Gray said. “It is so much stronger and so much faster than anything we have the power to fight.”

Eventually, Gray said he made it back to Glenn Oaks Drive, the street where he was rescued out by helicopter, to see the aftermath first-hand.

“There were some things that were so much bigger and so much crazier than I imagined. But there was other stuff that is really big but for some reason, I didn’t think twice about it,” Gray reflected. “Our brain processes it in a way or something like, ‘Hey, you can handle this part!'”

Gray said he has good days and bad days. He admits that stormy weather triggers feelings of anxiety and tension, however, family and friends and the outpouring of love and support coming from the community are all healing.

“This is my home. I’m not going anywhere,”Gray said. “But I’m also trying to be as smart as possible and get out of the way if there’s danger coming.”