Local, state, and federal disaster declarations are in place for Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo Counties as a result of the string of storms to hit the region.
Friday afternoon, California Governor Gavin Newsom got a first-hand look at the situation in Santa Barbara County, and spoke at a news conference in Montecito.
"We're not out of the woods...that's why I'm here," said Newsom. "We're going to see this through...we're going to follow through...we're going to come back when the cameras are gone. That's when the real work is done."
The governor said he’s seen amazing resilience around the state, as first responders and residents have come together to deal with the impacts of the series of storms.
He said the state, and the federal government are committed to helping with recovery efforts.
The governor brought climate change into the picture, saying we need to be prepared to deal with more disasters of this type. "Are we resilient enough...are we resourceful enough that we can thrive in this new reality?" Newsom said.
The Governor spoke at the Randall Road debris basin in Montecito, where California National Guard units are working to clear boulders to prepare it for this weekend’s storms.
The new $20 million project was completed last summer. This week's storm was it's first big test, and it worked well.
In 2018, debris clogged San Ysidro Creek in the area, leading to a debris flow which destroyed or damaged a number of homes, and led to some of the 23 deaths from the massive storm which hit the community.