Mud leaves its mark on lower west neighborhoods near Ortega Street Bridge

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Drive up Bath Street or along West Ortega Street and you'll find roadways coated in mud from Monday's torrential rains.

Areas adjacent to lower Mission Creek took a direct hit as floodwaters spilled over the Ortega Street Bridge, leaving people scurrying to higher ground.

Some were home at the time, as a foot of mud seeped in.

"Through the door, outside, back door. Tried to take most expensive stuff upstairs," said Israel Gonzalez.

Santa Barbara Housing Authority is bringing in cleaning crews and relocating its renters. The Gonzalez family is among them.

Gonzales expected the family to be out of their home for a few months. Now, they're trying to figure out what's salvageable and what's not

"Washer, dryer, clothes, blankets, pillows, computer stuff, kitchenware is all gone."

Outside, crews spent much of the day scraping and shoveling mud from the streets and out of a nearby park.

"This is Pocket Park. The neighborhood park was completely flooded, the creek overflowed," said Max Thomas, a crew leader with the City's Parks and Recreation Department. "We're just trying to get it back into usable shape, get the dirt out."

Residents will continue shoveling out the mud until the next storm, which is expected this weekend.