Raising Our Light: Montecito Comes Together for the 7th Anniversary of the Debris Flow

January 9^th, 2018, is a night that Montecito will never forget, yet nature has provided some unwanted reminders. In 2023, heavy rains, flooding, and evacuations all took place on the very day of the 5^th anniversary of the tragic Debris Flow in Montecito that took 23 lives. Even now, as the community prepares for the 7^th Anniversary of the 1/9 Debris Flow, we are hearing warnings of high winds and fire risk. And while these environmental threats continue to arise in the area, there is another force that is ever present in our community – our collective strength. 

It is the memory of those 23 loved ones, along with the strength that is so intricately woven into the fabric of this community that we celebrate during Raising Our Light, this evening, Thursday, January 9, at 6 pm at Montecito Union School, 385 San Ysidro Road.

As Montecito Fire Chief David Neels puts it, “Seven years have passed since the 1/9 Debris Flow and the loss of 23 Montecito community members. It’s a date that will always be in our minds and those 23 people will forever be on our hearts. That’s why we invite the community to come together and remember what occurred, honor the lives lost and reflect on the resilience we have built in Montecito in the years since.”

This community event is a partnership between Montecito Association, Montecito Union School District, Cold Spring School District, Montecito Fire Department, Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, and the Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness.

Of the event, Montecito Association Executive Director Houghton Hyatt says, “We welcome everyone to gather in the MUS courtyard for a short program of speakers and a reading of the names. Bells will ring out 23 times from local churches and schools, Montecito firefighters will light 23 candles, and we will pause for a moment of silence together. A searchlight will be illuminated as a beacon of community support and solidarity from Montecito Union School.”

The bells will be rung in eight locations throughout Montecito with Summerland Church, La Casa De Maria, and Old Mission Santa Barbara being newly added this year to ring in solidarity. MUS Superintendent Anthony Ranii added, “MUS is honored to once again host this year’s Raising Our Light ceremony. Every time that beacon lights the skies and those bells chime across this resilient community, we all heal a bit more.”

The Bucket Brigade is one of the organizations formed in the wake of the Debris Flow as community members came together to organize a neighborhood relief response to assist public agencies in helping dig out the buried homes. Today the Bucket Brigade remains active and are metaphorically and literally building the paths that strengthen our community with their Walk Montecito project. 

About this year’s event, Abe Powell, Co-founder and CEO of the Bucket Brigade, stated, “Losing 23 neighbors in 2018 created a very big wound, and January 9th is a painful reminder each year. Healing a big wound can take a long time. This event reminds us of the ways that we supported each other back in 2018 and shines a light on the ways we can still support each other as we continue to heal – as individuals and as a community.”

So this Thursday, let the evening’s quiet radiance and the connectivity that blankets our community warm our collective hearts as we continue to heal and remember what happened on 1/9.  

Interested in what makes up the Montecito community? Make sure to fill out MA Annual Survey (see the QR code below). The MJ will be running the results after the survey closes on January 17^th.