Volunteers Needed for Storm-Readiness Effort

The county asks for volunteers to organize and distribute information to advise residents how to prepare for the next big storm — pictured, a culvert on Buena Vista Creek near Park Lane after the Montecito debris flow of January 2018.

Hundreds of volunteers are needed by Santa Barbara County to help deliver information to more than 1,500 homes and businesses about the new interactive debris-flow map and how to be ready for the next big storm. The walkabouts — held December 9 and 15 — will be in teams of two to three people, organized by County Search and Rescue. The door-to-door deliveries are preceded by a packet-put-together party the morning of December 9 at Carpinteria City Hall.

The event as a whole starts Sunday morning, December 9. From 9 a.m. to noon, packets will be assembled at Carpinteria City Hall (5775 Carpinteria Ave.) for distribution that afternoon. The door-to-door delivery teams will assemble at Carp City Hall at noon to distribute the packets until about 5 p.m.

The following weekend, on Saturday, December 15, volunteers for the second leg of the outreach effort will assemble at Montecito Union School (385 San Ysidro Rd.) at 9 a.m. for a brief training meeting. The deliveries begin at 10 a.m. through about 5 p.m.

Volunteers can simply show up at the specified locations and times, or check-in with the following participating agencies:

• Montecito Emergency Response and Recovery Action Group (MERRAG) — contact Joyce Reed, (805) 969-7762, jreed@montecitofire.com

• Habitat for Humanity Santa Barbara — sign up at volunteerup.com/Login.asp?w=i&o=176

• Carpinteria City Hall — contact Mimi Audelo, mimia@ci.carpinteria.ca.us