Following one of the wettest starts to a water year on record , Santa Barbara County officials briefed the public Tuesday morning on storm impacts — from road and infrastructure concerns to saturated burn scars and emergency shelter options.
The storm, which brought 460 percent of normal-to-date rainfall across the county, prompted emergency flood advisories, road closures, and a regional push to monitor vulnerable terrain, including bluff erosion. At Tuesday morning’s Board of Supervisors meeting in Santa Maria, county officials shared updates on the storm’s impact and laid out what residents should expect heading into the next round of rain.
“While it has been a wet start, that does not mean this year will be a wet year,” said Chris Sneddon, Deputy Director of Public Works. “Overall, it was a good storm — there were areas where if it kept raining at the intensities it did, there would have been some issues. We all need to stay vigilant and react accordingly.” He added that crews worked through the weekend responding to downed trees, fallen rocks, and small slides, but confirmed “there was no major damage on any of the county roadways.”