Tag archives: FEMA
It is more than obvious that 2018 was a pivotal year for Montecito and its residents. The first week of the year, we were recovering from the Thomas Fire, which weeks earlier had suffocated Montecito and Santa Barbara in smoke and ash while scorching nearly 282,000 acres from Ventura to Santa Barbara, including ten structures […]
During closed session at the SB Board of Supervisors hearing last week, the BOS voted unanimously to begin negotiations with homeowners on Randall Road in hopes of buying seven properties (plus one on East Valley Road) to build a new debris basin where the multimillion dollar homes were once located. The short road, which ends […]
At last week’s Montecito Association (MA) board meeting, Brett Matthews with the Partnership for Resilient Communities reported that his group has filed an emergency permit to install 15 temporary steel nets for five canyons in Montecito; the MA board voted unanimously to support the group’s permit application, agreeing to send a letter to the director […]
This week, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Services will release a new evacuation and debris flow map to help get Montecito residents prepared for the rainy season. “Our team has been very reflective over the spring and summer, and we’ve arrived at this place to be able to give the public ample time before […]
Also at the Montecito Association Board meeting, Montecito Union School superintendent Dr. Anthony Ranii announced that he is recommending to the MUS Board of Trustees that necessary facilities improvem vhu7yents needed on campus be done with in-house funds instead of a tax bond, with November marking four years since the failure of Measure Q, the […]
At last week’s Montecito Association Board meeting, the board heard from Rob Lewin, director of the County’s Office of Emergency Management, who gave a preview of a presentation that he will be giving to the larger community at a special meeting on Thursday, October 25. “As we approach the rainy season, it’s vital that we […]
At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee, deputy director of Water Resources Tom Fayram reported that the County continues to move forward on a hazard mitigation grant to look at modifying the three debris basins above Montecito: Cold Spring, San Ysidro, and Romero. “We’re trying to expand the size of the basins and improve […]
I wanted to write a quick note thanking some people for acts of kindness and generosity in the aftermath of the debris flow. In the first instance, I parked my backhoe 100 feet from Montecito Creek at the end of Pepper Lane tucked in next to the neighbor’s hedge line. In the morning [the one […]
Last week, the SB County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted unanimously to adopt the FEMA Interim Flood Map in an effort to expedite and control the rebuilding process in Montecito. As chair of the BOS, supervisor Das Williams noted, “I can’t say I’m comfortable with the option of the Interim Flood Recovery map, but the […]
On Tuesday, June 19, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to adopt the use of the new FEMA Interim Recovery Map, which was released last week and was the basis of our cover story (MJ #24/24). “This map is not gospel, I don’t think it’s perfect,” said First District supervisor Das Williams. […]
Five months after the catastrophic debris flow that damaged or destroyed 470 homes in Montecito and took the lives of 23 members of our community, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) released an updated flood map on June 11, which will stand as the basis on which property owners rebuild their homes. The map, which is […]
Mark your calendars for June 11, 2018. That’s the expected date for the public release of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Flood Recovery Maps for Montecito. The map release will mark a critical milepost in making the rebuilding decisions that will shape the future character of Montecito for the next 50 years. FEMA Recovery […]
Last week, an overflow crowd turned out at the Granada Theatre for a community conversation titled “Drought, Fire and Flood: The New Normal” sponsored by the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, the Santa Barbara Museum of National History, the Santa Barbara Foundation, and the Community Environmental Council. Moderating this Town Hall event […]
On Tuesday, at a special Montecito Planning Commission (MPC) hearing that was also attended by the Montecito Board of Architectural Review (MBAR), the MPC discussed proposed ordinance amendments pertaining to rebuilding following the 1/9 debris flow and made a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors to wait on approving the new ordinance language, until more […]
Last month, in response to a public request, Montecito Association (MA) Land Use Committee chair Cori Hayman identified the “Top 10 Issues” facing Montecito. The goal was to focus on making the village better than it was before the twin disasters of the Thomas wildfire and the January 9 debris flow. The Land Use Committee’s […]
At a standing-room-only Land Use Committee meeting on Tuesday, April 3, several County staff members gave updates on mudslide recovery, including Water Resources deputy director Tom Fayram, who assured the Committee that FEMA officials are working hard on finishing revised flood maps for Montecito. The maps, which are expected to be finalized in June, will […]
