Emergency responders have a full court press underway as a March madness-style storm bears down
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - The term March madness usually relates to the exciting and unpredictable college basketball tournament, but for the current weather system it also directly applies.
Every local emergency responder has been alerted to be ready if the incoming weather delivers the rain and flooding that's been described in the advanced predictions.
Those include water rescue specialists and extra pre-positioned personnel.
The rainfall intensities and duration will be the key to impacts to roads, homes and businesses.
The early morning hours came through without any serious issues.
Drivers on Calle Real at Kingston, however, had to be detoured when a giant eucalyptus tree crashed over San Jose Creek and into more trees sending them towards the street.
Santa Barbara Counthy Fire Engine 12's personnel and Crew 10 from Cachuma Lake were dispatched to the scene with chain saws to do some preliminary work. The Branch Out tree service company was called by the City of Goleta to trim up the trees that were tipping towards the sidewalk and street as part of a public safety response.
The storm advisories remained in place the entire day.
About 6:30 p.m. a landslide was reported on Coronel St. behind McKinley school. A chunk of the hill has been saturated and it popped out across a walking patch and into a neighborhood street. No one was hurt.
Santa Barbara City Public Works will be removing it Wednesday along with a smaller one on the 1100 block of Miramonte Drive.
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