Herb Peterson Day
‘Wild Neighbors’
Honoring Herb Peterson, inventor of the McDonald’s egg mcmuffin - A5
Wildlife photographer to present program at Wildling Museum - B1
Our 167th Year
RAIN TOTALS
Santa Barbara County Building
YESTERDAY.........................0.00” 0.00” SEASON TOTAL ...................18.4” 0.00” 744.66 CACHUMA LAKE LEVEL ....000.00
(87.1%)
$2.00
S AT U R DA Y, J A N UA R Y 14 , 2 0 2 3
Newsom visits Randall Road Debris Basin
Governor praises California National Guard’s around-the-clock work to clean Montecito site ahead of this weekend’s storms By DAVE MASON NEWS-PRESS MANAGING EDITOR
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
Gov. Gavin Newsom praises the spirit of community volunteers, including the next generation, in response efforts for this week’s storms. Behind him are other elected officials and members of the National Guard who worked on cleaning out the Randall Road Debris Basin before this weekend’s storm.
Gov. Gavin Newsom stood Friday afternoon in front of a new debris basin that officials say made the difference for Montecito during this week’s storms. Before the governor addressed a large group of elected officials and media on a partly cloudy day, 80 members of the California National Guard worked around the clock to clean 50,000 cubic yards of debris from the new Randall Road Debris Basin, which was completed just months before the storm that slammed Santa Barbara County Monday and Tuesday — five years after the catastrophic Jan. 9, 2018 debris flow. After bringing up members of the National Guard to the microphone, Gov. Newsom told
his audience, “Here we are trying to get ahead of this,.” He was referring to this weekend’s storms, which experts have said will be less severe than the one that hit Santa Barbara County early this week. “I was just down with the Bucket Brigade,” Gov. Newsom said, referring to the Montecito nonprofit that emerged in the aftermath of the 2018 debris flow. “They’re on demand, delivering sandbags all over the region. It came from the ashes of the devastation five years ago.” Gov. Newsom said the spirit of community volunteerism and cooperation “is alive and well,” not only on the South Coast but in North County. The governor praised first responders for the rescues they performed during the Monday/ Tuesday storm.
After the governor’s speech, he took questions from the media, and the News-Press asked him whether President Joe Biden would come to California to see the storm damage. Gov. Newsom said he would wait for the White House to make an announcement. The News-Press later asked Gov. Newsom about the response California, including Santa Barbara County, has received from President Biden in terms of help. “It’s been exceptional,” Gov. Newsom said, praising President Biden and his staff for their fast response. “The president called me a couple days ago, before I formally made a request,” the governor told the News-Press. “He said, ‘Let me know when you submit it.’ I said, ‘Mr. President, this afternoon. … “The FEMA director is out
here visiting” in California, Gov. Newsom said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Earlier, Gov. Newsom said developments such as atmospheric rivers have led to challenges in emergency responses. “The questions are, ‘Are we resilient enough, creative enough, so we can thrive, not just survive?” he said. Gov. Newsom noted 88 major water projects have been completed in California since 2016. As he stood in front of the debris basin and the greenery of rural Montecito, Gov. Newsom noted nature’s turbulence is part of what created California’s natural settings. “The beauty of this place is Please see NEWSOM on A3
Storms in Montecito: Then and now This week was less severe than the 2018 debris flow; fire chief says debris basin improvements helped
KENNETH SONG / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
At left, Lauren Cantin, then 14, is pulled from the wreckage of a collapsed house by emergency personel after the devastating debris flows of 2018. At right, the partially collapsed portion of East Mountain Drive running parallel to Cold Spring Creek is shown in Montecito on Wednesday.
By KATHERINE ZEHNDER NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Exactly five years after the Jan. 9, 2018 debris flow, another storm hit Montecito. But to everyone’s relief, the storm on Monday and Tuesday of this week paled in comparison to the 2018 disaster. The recent storm claimed no lives and caused no injuries, and damages were less severe than that caused by the 2018 storm. The 1/9/2018 debris flow began at approximately 4 a.m. while the Thomas Fire was still burning in the back country and a high intensity rain began. In just five minutes, 0.89 inch of rain fell, which triggered a debris flow
in the community that caused the loss of 23 lives and damaged or destroyed more than 500 properties, according to Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor. Among the 23 lives lost in the debris flow were David and Jack Cantin, husband and son respectively, of Kim Cantin. The Cantins’ daughter, Lauren Cantin, who was buried in mud, was rescued by Montecito firefighters, who, along with other first responders, were praised as heroes in the community. This week, first responders again worked to protect residents. But fortunately, the recent storms were less severe than the one that hit on Jan. 9, 2018. This time around, the damage “is limited to a handful of
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use is appropriately prepared,” Chief Taylor said. “On Jan. 9, 2023, the community suffered a debris-laden flood,” he said. “The flood control system worked as designed with no loss of life and minor property damage.” One of the most visible signs of damage from the storm early this week is the major damage to East Mountain Drive, shown in the photo with this story. “East Mountain Drive is still closed and will likely require several months’ worth of repairs,” said Chief Taylor. The News-Press spoke with local experts and officials about the comparison between the current storm and the 2018 debris flow. “The Montecito debris flow was
in its own category and should not be compared for reservoir levels. It was bone dry prior to the arrival of very intense 5-30 minute rainfall that caused the debris flow in 2018,” Eric Boldt, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard, told the News-Press. “Storm totals with that particular storm were in the range of 2-4 inches and really did not create any flows at all into the reservoirs. It normally takes a solid 10-15 inches of rain in the watershed to begin to have runoff into the reservoirs.” Since the Jan. 9, 2018 debris flow, improvements have been made that likely minimized the damage caused by the recent storm.
“Construction was completed in the fall of 2022 on the Randall Road debris basin,” Lael Wageneck, the public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department, told the News-Press. “This project dates back to the Thomas Fire and 1/9 debris flow when community members expressed support for a new debris basin. The project was approved in August 2020, and construction on the $21.3 million project — the largest debris basin in Montecito, began in May 2021. “The project was funded by a FEMA $13.5 million Hazard Mitigation Program Grant and a state $4.5 million Community Development Block Grant,” Mr. Please see STORMS on A3
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roadways and full debris basins and only three homes with minor flooding,” Chief Taylor told the News-Press. A much different story than five years ago. Since Jan. 9, 2018, there has been community education, preparation and coordination between the Montecito Fire Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s office as well as coordination between the fire departments on the South Coast, according to Chief Taylor. The News-Press asked Chief Taylor how the experience with the 2018 disaster helped efforts to prepare for the recent storm. “We were not overly prepared, I don’t think it is possible to be overly prepared. The term I would
Sudoku................. B3 Business . ............. A5 Weather................A2
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 7-16-21-44-46 Mega: 7
Friday’s DAILY 4: 2-4-5-0
Friday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 30-43-45-46-61 Mega: 14
Friday’s FANTASY 5: 9-23-24-30-38
Friday’s DAILY DERBY: 12-09-07 Time: 1:48.55
Wednesay’s POWERBALL: 4-8-46-47-48 Meganumber: 5
Friday’s DAILY 3: 9-7-7 / Midday 3-7-7