Santa Barbara County leaders held a press conference Saturday afternoon (watch above) to update the community on the county's storm response.
An atmospheric river storm is forecast to reach the Central and South Coasts Saturday afternoon with heavy rain and strong winds expected throughout the day on Sunday.
On Friday afternoon, an evacuation warning was issued for the following areas of Santa Barbara County. On Saturday, Sheriff Bill Brown announced that the warning had been upgraded to an evacuation order:
- Properties along waterways associated with the Thomas, Cave and Alisal fire burn areas
- Properties in the vicinity of Sycamore Creek, from Stanwood Dr. to parts of Ninos Dr., in the city of Santa Barbara
Click here for an interactive map of the areas.
Sheriff Brown said there are about 600 properties in the evacuation areas and that deputies and police officers would be going door-to-door to notify affected residents.
He said the evacuation orders will be lifted once the danger of the storm has passed.
"This storm is predicted to be one of the largest and most significant in our county's history and our goal is to get through it without any fatalities or any serious injuries and to do that, we will need the cooperation of the public and we ask you for that now," Brown said.
The American Red Cross has opened an evacuation shelter for affected residents at the Santa Barbara Community College Wake Center, located at 300 N. Turnpike Rd. in Santa Barbara.
Anyone with questions about evacuation procedures or other storm-related issues can call the Santa Barbara County Call Center at 833-688-5551 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday.
California state officials also spoke about the state's response to the storm in a press conference Saturday at noon (watch below):
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has activated the State Operations Center, and officials said they have more than 8,500 "boots on the ground" prepared to respond to emergencies. That includes resources from Cal OES, California Highway Patrol, California National Guard, California Conservation Corps, and other agencies.
On Friday, San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services Director Scott Jalbert told KSBY News that all of the county's public safety agencies are staffed up for the weekend storm and ready to respond to emergencies.
Jalbert said local residents should also take precautions at home and be prepared in case of flooding.
"We encourage everybody to be prepared," he said. "Obviously, if your home is prone to flooding, make sure that you have sandbags, making sure that anything that's of value that you get off the floor, making sure that if you're in an area that's prone to evacuations, that you have a go-bag."
He also said that high winds are likely to cause power outages and downed trees, and he is encouraging everyone to stay off the roadways.
For the latest weather forecast, visit KSBY's Microclimate Weather page.
To sign up for emergency alerts from local agencies, visit the following websites:
- Santa Barbara County — ReadySBC.org
- San Luis Obispo County — ReadySLO.org
