United States: Evacuations partially lifted in Santa Barbara county /update 4

Event

Santa Barbara county authorities lifted mandatory evacuation orders for 1000 households in the Montecito area on Wednesday, January 24, marking a return to normal for much of the mudslide-ravaged area. However, authorities have yet to fully clear roads and restore utilities to the entire area, with some communities remaining under evacuation orders. Transportation disruptions are likely to persist in isolated areas throughout the coming days.

Context

Heavy rainfall in Southern California triggered flooding and landslides on January 8, killing at least 21 people and injuring at least 28 others. Authorities in Santa Barbara county had issued mandatory evacuation orders for roughly 6000 people in the areas of Summerland, Montecito, Carpinteria, and the city of Goleta due to the risk of flooding and landslides. Additional mandatory and voluntary evacuations were issued in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Such areas are located adjacent to the burn areas from a series of wildfires that affected Southern California between October and December 2017. Areas burned by the forest fires are vulnerable to flash flooding and landslides due to the inability of burned soil to absorb rainfall and the lack of living vegetation to prevent erosion.

Advice

Individuals in the affected areas of California are advised to monitor local weather forecasts, adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities (e.g. evacuation orders), and anticipate significant localized transportation delays.