Evacuation orders and flash flood warning issued for much of Santa Barbara County, shelter-in-place issued for impact areas
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Santa Barbara County officials issued a flash flood warning for the much of the county, and a shelter-in-place for impact areas in a Monday morning press conference.
In a follow up press conference, the county upgraded the evacuation warning to an evacuation order, and expanded it from areas within the Thomas Fire, Alisal Fire and Cave Fire burn scars to all of Montecito, as well as Toro Canyon, Padaro Lane from Calle Real to Santa Claus Lane, Sycamore Canyon, and also for the old San Marcos area, and all camp grounds from Rincon to Gaviota.
Click here to visit the Santa Barbara County 2023 January Winter Storm Incident Map and see if you are in an evacuation zone.
At 2:00 p.m., the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office evacuated Serena Park in Carpinteria due to flooding, and said to leave now.
Santa Barbara County issued the following:
EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for all of Montecito/Toro Canyon/Sycamore Canyon/Padaro Ln. Leave now.
Residents should:
- Leave Now!
- Expect strong winds which can cause debris to fall onto roadways and power outages.
- BE PREPARED to sustain yourself and your household for multiple days if you choose not to evacuate, as you may not be able to leave the area and emergency responders may not be able to access your property in the event of road damage, flooding, or a debris flow.
A SHELTER IN PLACE remains in effect for Santa Barbara County impact areas (Cave and Alisal). Go to innermost room or high ground. DO NOT attempt to leave. If already evacuated, remain out of the area.
Resources & Information from the county:
- For animal evacuation information, call Santa Barbara County Animal Services at 805-681-4332.
- For large animal evacuation assistance, please call 805-892-4484.
- For Evacuation Center assistance and additional information, contact the Santa Barbara County Call Center at 833-688-5551 or call 2-1-1.
- Click here to register for Emergency Alerts to receive any changes to protective actions.
Sheriff Bill Brown said students should be picked up immediately from those areas. Santa Barbara Unified School District cancelled all classes Monday afternoon.
SBUSD also said it will accommodate any student whose guardian is not able to pick them up:
The A-OK and after-school care will be available. Student Transportation of America buses will be at schools by 1:30 p.m. We are working with MTD to send buses sooner than the 3:30 normal release time. Please let your school office know if no one will be home to greet your students.
Schools continue to be safe for your children. There will be food and staff to watch over your students. Please know that your children are safe until you can pick them up.
For more information on the storm and your full forecast, click here.
An evacuation center is located at Santa Barbara City College's Wake Campus, 300 N Turnpike Rd.
Click here for a look at roadway flooding and closures, as well as other incidents, from CHP.
Stay tuned for updates on the storm.
