Evacuation Warnings Issued for Parts of Santa Barbara County Ahead of Storm
Entire County Under Flood Watch Saturday, February 17 Through Wednesday, February 21
Early Saturday afternoon an evacuation warning went out from the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management for properties along the Thomas, Cave, and Alisal burn area waterways, along with properties near Sycamore Creek and Mission Creek ahead of another “major storm” expected over the next few days.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), rains begin on Saturday, with storm conditions overnight Sunday into Monday, and showers expected to last through Wednesday. On Thursday, the NWS issued a flood watch for all of Santa Barbara County, which will remain in effect through Wednesday, February 21.
While the storm is not expected to be as heavy as the one from just a few weeks earlier, flooding is expected in low-lying areas, as well as strong winds and the potential for “isolated thunderstorms capable of producing brief heavy rainfall and dangerous flash flooding.”
The evacuation warnings include: properties along waterways associated with the Thomas, Cave and Alisal burn areas; properties in the vicinity of Sycamore Creek, from Stanwood Drive down to parts of Niños Drive in the City of Santa Barbara; and properties in the vicinity of Mission Creek, from Cota Street to Highway 101, and between Chapala Street and Castillo Street in the City of Santa Barbara.
To check if you live in the evacuation area, visit the county’s interactive incident map.
Residents in evacuation areas should:
- Prepare to leave: fill the gas tank, gather important documents, essential items, etc.
- Leave now if you feel unsafe, do not wait for an evacuation order
- Be ready to leave at a moment’s notice
- People with disabilities, access and functional needs should leave now.
- People with large animals should leave now.
- Be prepared to sustain yourself and your household for multiple days if you choose not to evacuate, as you may not be able to leave the area and emergency responders may not be able to access your property in the event of road damage, flooding or debris.
For small animal shelter information, call Santa Barbara County Animal Services at (833) 422-8413. This phone line is open Saturday, February 17 until 6 p.m. and on Sunday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Santa Barbara County’s emergency information website — ReadySBC.org — offers links to alerts, readiness tips, roadway conditions, sandbags, and more:
Resources:
· Storm readiness tips: http://www.readysbc.org/StormReadiness 
· For status of highways: https://roads.dot.ca.gov/roadscell.php 
· For status of county roadways: https://www.countyofsb.org/2116/Road-Closures 
· For county sandbag filling locations: https://www.countyofsb.org/2219/Sandbags 
Sign up for ReadySBC Emergency Alerts: https://member.everbridge.net/index/892807736723794#/signup 
Detailed weather forecasts are available at https://www.weather.gov/lox/.