Mandatory Evacuation Orders Lifted for Santa Barbara County

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, in consultation with fire agencies and other public safety officials, has announced that effective at 9 a.m. today, March 2, Mandatory Evacuation Orders are lifted for all areas.

Preliminary reports indicate that the storm caused minor damage in the area. No damages were sustained to utility infrastructure.

“Together we made it through the first winter storm since the 1/9 Debris Flow.  On behalf of all public safety and emergency officials, we want to thank you for staying informed, being prepared and following the evacuation orders issued yesterday.  We know that being evacuated is a tremendous hardship and we did not make this decision lightly.  Because of your cooperation we were able to get through this together,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.

Emergency Operations partners will be analyzing the evacuation process and thresholds for this event.  Emergency Operations will use this information to make decisions for future rain events.

Tom Fayram, Deputy Director of the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District, added “The catch basins were effective. The creek channels, roads were able to handle the rain and debris.”

The County’s interactive evacuation map will be updated today to reflect changes made to evacuation orders.  Please visit ReadySBC.org to access the interactive evacuation map or call the Public Information Call Center at 833-688-5551 for assistance.

If evacuated residents who are returning to their residences have a need for wheelchair or other specialized transport needs, call Easy Lift at 805-681-1180.