MONTECITO, Calif. _ Mandatory evacuation orders in Santa Barbara County were lifted Friday morning as a cold winter storm moved through without causing any major damage to areas devastated by deadly mudslides in January.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office lifted all mandatory evacuation orders as of 9 a.m. local time.
"Together we made it through the first storm since the 1/9 debris flow," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said in a statement, adding that "we know that being evacuated is a tremendous hardship and we did not make this decision lightly."
Rain from the Gulf of Alaska storm moved into Southern California overnight, causing mud and debris flows that prompted the closure of some roadways in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Highway 33 near Ojai was closed at Fairview Road at 3:30 a.m. because rocks and debris were on the road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Portions of Highway 192 in Montecito were flooded, and debris stretched 12 to 14 feet across Bella Vista Drive in Montecito, authorities said.
Still, the impacts were minimal, authorities said.
The CHP said the 101 Freeway remained open and that authorities were closely monitoring the roadway in case a closure becomes necessary as rain continues throughout the day.
Santa Barbara County officials said flood control clearing after the Jan. 9 storm that swept away homes and killed 21 people in Montecito prevented problems with the current storm system.
"The worst of the storm has passed, and we are cautiously optimistic that due to a significant amount of pre-storm preparation we have come through this with minimal impact," Rob Lewin, director of the county's Office of Emergency Management, said in a statement. "Crews are currently completing assessment of all roads, debris basins, conditions of utilities and other public facilities for damage or impact."
Montecito Fire Department Capt. Jordan Zeitsoff said creeks held up well in areas that were most at risk of mudslides and that there were no major road closures or significant flooding.
"We had no issues with the creeks," he said. "Crews worked weeks to clear it."
Also, Zeitsoff said, residents complied better with evacuation orders.
"I feel that things went well," he said. "Now we just have to prepare for the next storm that will come."
The storm had a "pretty good intensity" over Santa Barbara and Ventura counties during the predawn hours Friday, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The heaviest rainfall rates were coming over the Santa Ynez Mountains, where rain was coming down at about a half-inch per hour.
The rainfall slightly exceeded the projected total in Santa Barbara County, falling at a rate of 0.6 of an inch of rain per hour, officials said.
Shortly after 7 a.m. Friday, a light drizzle blanketed Montecito. Authorities spent days warning residents to evacuate ahead of the latest storm.
For Manuel Cedeno, a garbage collector for a private company, business went on as usual. He started his shift at 5:45 a.m. and stopped by every house along East Valley Road near Picacho Lane and collected garbage bins as cars whizzed by.
"Things seem to be getting back to normal," Cedeno said. "We are going to try to go to as many houses as possible, but some roads might be blocked."
Santa Barbara County mountains already had received a few inches of rain by 4 a.m., with San Marcos Pass receiving 5.95 inches of rain and Refugio Pass getting 2.72 inches. Santa Barbara got 0.3 inch, and Gaviota got 0.53 inch, according to the weather service.
In Ventura County, Ojai received 0.73 inch and Ventura got 0.14 inch. In Los Angeles County, the storm brought 0.37 inch to Beverly Hills, 0.23 inch to Santa Monica and 0.24 inch to the Pacoima Dam.
Showers will linger throughout the day and into Saturday, Seto said.
The Los Angeles County mountains will see 8 to 12 inches of snow, with some areas receiving up to 18 inches, according to the weather service. The mountains in Ventura County will receive slightly less. By Saturday, snow levels could drop to 4,000 feet, and Interstate 5 through the Grapevine could see a few inches of snow, Seto said.
The storm, he said, "is pretty much doing what was expected." Although there have been some reports of roadway flooding and debris, "luckily it wasn't as devastating as it could have been."
In Montecito, Michael Clark donned a beige bathrobe and rain boots as he observed the water flowing down small creeks in his backyard on San Ysidro Road. As light rain poured down on him, he bent his head over a small stream. The sound of water rushing below him was loud, but Clark didn't seem concerned.
"The way the water is flowing is nothing like January," he said.
Although authorities urged residents to leave ahead of the storm, Clark said he did not evacuate because he wanted to protect his property.
Santa Barbara County authorities ordered mandatory evacuations Thursday for residents in Montecito and other fire-scarred areas, saying the storm could again trigger dangerous flash floods and mud and debris flows.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office issued the evacuation order, effective at noon Thursday, for people living near the Thomas, Sherpa and Whittier fire burn areas. The order affects the coastal communities of Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria.
Sheriff Bill Brown estimated that 25,000 to 30,000 people would be affected by the mandatory evacuation notice.
Around 4 a.m. Friday, Patrick Braid, owner of the Village Cheese and Wine store in Montecito, put on his boots and raincoat and hopped in his Range Rover as rain started to pour down. He wanted to head out to areas most at risk of mud flow to check on his neighbors and help people who didn't evacuate.
"Let's do this!" he shouted as he closed the door to his shop.
