The major storm headed through the Tri-Counties Wednesday night and Thursday morning is prompting some mandatory evacuations in three Santa Barbara County brush fire burn areas.
At a news conference heard live on KCLU, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said some people living in the Thomas, Alisal, and Cave Fire burn zones are being ordered to leave their homes as a precaution. The evacuation orders are focused on people with homes near creeks and rivers. You can see the maps of the areas affected at readysbc.org.
Most of those affected are on the South Coast between Santa Barbara and the Ventura County line. They include some of the areas impacted by the deadly 2018 Montecito debris flow, which killed 23 people. But, there are also some other spots near Summerland and Carpinteria.
The storm is projected to bring 2-4" of rain to much of the region. But, some mountain areas could get as much as 10". The biggest concern is that the slow moving storm may dump heavy rainfall during a short period of time, which was what led to the 2018 disaster in Montecito.
Ventura County officials say they are monitoring the situation closely, but no evacuations have been ordered as of Wednesday afternoon.
