At the annual Raising Our Light remembrance event in Montecito on Thursday, the community came together to support one another and honor the 23 victims who were lost in the devastating 1/9 Debris Flow.
"It doesn't even feel like seven [years]. It feels like it was just yesterday," said Anthony Rodriguez with the FoodBank of Santa Barbara County.
Early on the morning of January 9, 2018, a strong storm dumped rain on the recently burned mountains above Montecito. It triggered a massive mudslide that tore through neighborhoods, destroying homes and leaving 23 people dead.
Rodriguez says on the anniversary of the disaster, the memories and pain are still clear.
"It just brings everything back," he said.
But through the years, the community’s strength lives on.
"Didn't matter where you came from or what language you spoke. We stuck together. And that's one of the best feelings that I always remember — the fact that we came together as one," Rodriguez said.
Together once again, the community gathered in darkness to honor those lost and support those who remain.
"We took an incredible wound, losing 23 people out of our community. It’s just awful and really painful, and it takes a long time to heal from something like that," said Abe Powell, founder of Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade. "We've all gone through this really profound emotional darkness losing friends, losing family members, losing homes, and this event is just a way of reminding each other that, we can still support each other through this process."
With 23 bell tolls, 23 candles, and a moment of silence, the community stood together as one, under a searchlight pointed to the heavens, forever looking for those lost.
"And knowing that we still have one more out there that we haven't found. That's hard," Rodriguez said.
