Santa Barbara County declares ‘Local Emergency’ due to storms

Santa Barbara County proclaimed a Local Emergency on Friday due to the recent severe winter storms that pounded the Central Coast.

The proclamation was signed by County Executive Office Mona Miyasato and will be ratified by the Board of Supervisors.

The proclamation follows Gov. Jerry Brown’s two State of Emergency declarations on Monday, and covers the entire County including all of the affected cities and districts.

“By the County executing this proclamation of a local emergency, we will be asking the Governor for an emergency proclamation for the January storms that caused, by preliminary assessments, approximately $7 million in damage to private and public property,” said a press release issued by the County of Santa Barbara. “A Governor’s proclamation does not guarantee public reimbursement and does not provide for private reimbursement.”

The damage in the county includes a historic adobe in Las Flores Canyon; 22 vehicles, seven tiny home cabins, and one outhouse trailer that were destroyed at El Capitan Canyon; and several apartments located in Isla Vista. As a result of the recent bluff erosion, at least four additional buildings will be required to cut back their structures from the bluff edge to some extent. Numerous other properties along the bluff also received damage to outside patio areas.