montecito debris flow

It’s the day those who lived through it will never forget.  January 9th, 2018 was the day when mud, rocks, debris, and water roared through a South Coast community, killing 23 people, injuring more than 160 others, and destroying or damaging hundreds of homes.

Hundreds came out to Westmont College to remember the second anniversary of the Montecito debris flow disaster.

The disaster on January 9, 2018, claimed 23 lives and destroyed more than 150 homes.

It was a day no one who lived through it will ever forget.  Water, mud and debris rolled through Santa Barbara County’s foothills, killing 23 people, injuring more than 160, and destroying or damaging hundreds of homes. It was four in the morning on January 9th, 2018. The still burning Thomas brush fire had stripped the mountains above Montecito bare, and heavy rain sent the torrent streaming through the community.

A candlelight ceremony is planned to commemorate the anniversary of a tragedy which killed 23 people, injured dozens more, and displaced hundreds of Santa Barbara County residents. Thursday marks the second anniversary of the deadly Montecito debris flow.

Last week was the first major test of the rainfall season for many of the burn areas on the Central and South Coasts.  The good news was that there were no major problems, with the exception of the flooding of an RV park in Ventura County.

Many of those who died in the 1/9 debris flow in 2018 in what were labeled voluntary evacuation areas. Public safety officials have changed evacuation protocols in Santa Barbara County to make them easier to understand, and to keep people safe.

One year after the deadly and destructive Montecito Mudflow, a special memorial event will take place tonight.

The gathering begins at 6:30 p.m. at Manning Park on San Ysidro Road.