Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade

On Sunday, January 28, the grassroots organization Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, led by Montecito Fire Protection District Board president Abe Powell, began helping homeowners clear out mud and debris from their driveways, homes, and properties. Dozens of volunteers, including local contractors donating their equipment and time, have assembled to help homeowners, who are overwhelmed with the task of digging their homes and cars out of the mud. “We want people to know that there are people here to help them, that they are not in this alone,” Powell said during the stakeholders meeting last week. 

Powell created the volunteer organization during the rebuilding of the Tea Fire, when homeowners whose homes burned needed help sifting through the ashes and accessing their properties. The current iteration of the group is a much grander scale, as there are more than 300 homes that were affected or damaged by the slide. “Volunteers and homeowners sign waivers that all liability is released during the clean-up efforts,” Powell said. 

Volunteers are provided masks and gloves and asked to bring shovels or any other equipment that will help move mud. So far, the group has concentrated on the Montecito Oaks neighborhood, digging out homes and driveways. The group plans on working throughout the week and coming weekend, with plans to extend their services longer.

If you are interested in volunteering, send an email to teafirerelief@gmail.com, with the word “volunteer” in the subject line and your contact info in the body of the email. If you are a homeowner needing help, email the same address, with the word “help” in the subject line, and your address and contact info in the body of the email. Powell says priority is given to homes with interior mud intrusion, as it is important to remove the mud as quickly as possible. The group intends to help every homeowner that asks for help. A volunteer coordination table is located at the corner of Olive Mill Road and North Jameson. 

“This is what this community is all about,” Powell said.