Rain runoff report ready for Montecito community meeting

MONTECITO, Calif. - The amount of rain ahead this winter is still a mystery but residents will be receiving an update on potential dangers during a town hall meeting Thursday.

The Winter Storm Readiness Meeting is set for 6 p.m. at the Montecito Union School.

Fire Chief Kevin Taylor will be joining experts with the National Weather Service, Santa Barbara County Flood Control and analysts who have been studying properties that may be threatened in extreme rains.

After the deadly 2018 debris flow, much of the damaged area has shown signs of recovery. Some areas have fully come back, even though exposed rocks may look unstable. Experts will speak about the chances for rain, and the threat of property damage during the winter months ahead.

New maps have been released to show areas more likely to have creek over flows or debris runoff in heavy downpours.Hikers on the Buena Vista trail say they area has been cleared out, and is in good condition.

Paul Cronshaw said, "this is a big drainage here.  It is not as big as San Ysidro, Romero and of course Cold Springs, here those are the big three. This is a small minor one here  but it still plugged up."

The area is being checked regularly. "We are entering the fifth winter  from the debris flow so as we know they told us from day one that it is a three to five year risk and the summary of watershed is between  80 and 90 percent recovered, " said Taylor.

Residents are also reminded to get signed up for alerts at ReadySBC.org. The message to the community going into the winter months, will be repeated often. "To continue to remind the community to be vigilant so they don't lose sight as to what the risk really is in our community," said Taylor.

For more information contact: Montecito Fire Protection District