Shoppers and businesses gear up for Wednesday’s storm
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Kelly Scott is still recovering from last month’s storms which caused significant water damage to her Santa Barbara boutique and thousands of dollars in lost inventory.
She says she’s more prepared to handle whatever comes her way this weekend.
“ I’ve got all my sandbags and the mall is taking extra precaution in this area to ensure that everything is okay,” said Owner of Miss Behavin’ Kelly Scott.
Shoppers are also bundling up before the storm hits.
“He doesn't like being he's very much. But we needed a beating because it's super windy. And with the storms coming, I just figured we'd get something a little bit more warmer than your standard cotton,” said Ector Flores-Garcia, who lives in Santa Barbara.
The National Weather Service says it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which areas will be hardest, but they’re saying that there is a potential for flooding in critical locations.
“We're talking about low lying locations, areas where the drainage is poor urban areas, for instance, where water collects and can get accumulating very quickly, especially where drains are clogged, other areas where water just does not drain as efficiently along creek beds, near rivers, those areas need to be monitored very closely,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Ariel Cohen.
Sunday through Tuesday is expected to be the most intense part of the storm.
Those traveling through the mountains during this time are encouraged to think about alternative routes since there is also potential for significant landslides, mudslides, and debris flows.
High surf is predicted to bring about 20 foot waves and could impact coastal properties.
“The beaches are going to be places where you're going to want to avoid, especially as we have those very dangerous rip currents also setting up as we get the strong southerly winds increasing over the area,” said Cohen.
It’s important to have all essential items ready to go in case of an evacuation order— that means medication, first aid kits, water, and protective clothing.
