More than 1,200 workers flooded into Montecito, California on Friday, as part of a massive search and cleanup effort into a small town first ravaged by a monster wildfire and now devastated by a mudslide that killed at least 18. (Jan. 12) AP
MONTECITO, Calif. — The deadly mudslides that swept through this bucolic seaside town a week ago have irrevocably changed the face of the community previously known for its charming shops, famous residents and sky-high property values.
The physical damage alone will take months to repair. But the damage to residents’ emotional health may linger even longer.
Montecito’s attraction, many residents say, is that almost nothing bad ever happens here: low crime, no snow, hurricanes or tornadoes, and relatively little danger from earthquakes. Even flooding was deemed unlikely since the whole town sits on a hillside that runs right down to the ocean.
“You have beaches and mountains. It was like paradise. And nothing of this magnitude has ever hit this town. People are devastated,” said Bob Santoro as he took a break from shoveling mud from a friend’s driveway. “People are in shock. Nothing like this has ever happened. It’s more shock than frustration — shock and loss.”
More: Here are all the people who died in the California mudslide
Heavy rains early Tuesday night unleashed a series of mudslides that ran down mountainsides burned by last month’s Thomas Fire.
The Thomas Fire alone was devastating: two dead, at least 1,000 structures destroyed. Many residents were forced to leave their homes for two weeks as the largest wildfire in recorded state history burned the mountains above. The mudslides heaped misery upon sorrow, killing at least 20 more people and destroying at least 73 more homes.
To be sure, the physical damage to Montecito isn’t absolute. Most streets and homes survived unscathed. Other streets became rivers as mud tore houses in half, blasted cars from garages, ripped down trees and tumbled boulders like Legos.
Firefighters are still conducting the grim task of searching rubble piles of multimillion-dollar homes for victims assisted by prisoners and cadaver-sniffing dogs that are quickly becoming exhausted in the dangerous conditions. Many evacuated residents don’t yet fully grasp how badly their town has been damaged or how long the scars will remain.
The mudslides have so utterly reorganized the terrain that veteran rescue workers say the hurricanes this summer in Texas and Florida pale in comparison to the concentrated devastation they are entrenched in.
![Kelly Patterson, right, and Natalie Alderson embrace]()
1 of 53![Thousands of people gathered for a candlelight vigil]()
2 of 53![California Highway Patrol Capt. Cindy Pontes wipes]()
3 of 53![Bodhi Schmidtchen, 5, collects donations for community]()
4 of 53![Members of California Task Force 8 of San Diego search]()
5 of 53![A house is covered in mud at Olive Mill Road in Montecito,]()
6 of 53![The devastation of a mudslide on East Valley Road in]()
7 of 53![The scene of a mudslide on East Valley Road in Montecito,]()
8 of 53![The devastation of a mudslide can be seen on East Valley]()
9 of 53![Members of California Task Force 8 of San Diego search]()
10 of 53![Marco Farell gets a few of his belongings out of his]()
11 of 53![Two firefighters get a safe out of a flooded house]()
12 of 53![The devastation of the mud slide in Montecito.]()
13 of 53![Jester, a search dog, with Region Task Force 10 checks]()
14 of 53![A couple of residents try to walk through two feet]()
15 of 53![A friend of a resident looks at the devastation cause]()
16 of 53![Julie Purcell with Region Task Force 10 walks with]()
17 of 53![A couple of residents take their boots off after attempting]()
18 of 53![Members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department Search]()
19 of 53![A CalTrans worker searches a portion of the 101 Freeway]()
20 of 53![Residents check a mud inundated home in Montecito.]()
21 of 53![A cyclist rides down a mud covered street in Montecito.]()
22 of 53![Workers clear a mud inundated road in Carpenteria.]()
23 of 53![A firefighter conducts search and rescue efforts in]()
24 of 53![Fremont City Firefighter Jordan Castro checks vehicles]()
25 of 53![Teresa Drenick stands in her sister's Montecito home]()
26 of 53![A Los Angeles County firefighter walks with his dog]()
27 of 53![Firefighters search for people trapped in mudslide]()
28 of 53![A member of the Long Beach Search and Rescue team looks]()
29 of 53![Cars sit in mud at a housing complex in Montecito,]()
30 of 53![Mud and debris rest on a roadway after heavy rains]()
31 of 53![A man who gave his name only as Ian rides his bike]()
32 of 53![This photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire]()
33 of 53![This photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire]()
34 of 53![A women is hoisted with the help of a San Bernardino]()
35 of 53![A structure is smashed against a tree along Hot Springs]()
36 of 53![Mud fills the interior of a car destroyed in a rain-driven]()
37 of 53![Phillip Harnsberger crosses through mud from a flooded]()
38 of 53![Debris from a swollen creek blocks Via Real in Carpinteria.]()
39 of 53![An arial view of Montecito.]()
40 of 53![LAPD closes La Tuna Canyon road in Sun Valley neighborhood]()
41 of 53![Firefighters respond to a mud and debris flow due to]()
42 of 53![Carpinteria resident Jeff Gallup carries his bike through]()
43 of 53![A bulldozer operator begins to clear a car trapped]()
44 of 53![Mud and water covers U.S. 101 freeway with runoff water]()
45 of 53![A rescue team removes their boat after a swift water]()
46 of 53![A CalTrans worker clears mud away from a car that was]()
47 of 53![Los Angeles Fire Department Firefighters work to clear]()
48 of 53![Los Angeles Fire Department Firefighters work to clear]()
49 of 53![Reilly, a Santa Barbara County Fire search dog, looks]()
50 of 53![Los Angeles Fire Department Firefighters work to clear]()
51 of 53![Santa Barbara County Firefighters rescue a 14-year-old]()
52 of 53![Santa Barbara County Firefighters rescue two men and]()
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Even the important U.S. Highway 101 remains closed indefinitely as crews try to clear a ¼-mile-long portion of the roadway covered in muck, trees, abandoned cars and anything else the slides swept from nearby homes.
Still, workers are already scraping the mud from the sidewalks outside the custom jewelry and stationary stores lining Coast Village Road and spraying clean the flower gardens. Businesses are jostling to reopen, and donations are pouring into community groups.
More: Mourners gather to remember mudslide victims
More: Closure of Highway 101 leaves swamped Montecito without its lifeline
More: In mud-battered Montecito, back-to-back disasters 'overwhelming'
At a vigil on Sunday night, community leaders urged residents to “be better” to each other in the coming days, to take this opportunity to be kinder and more helpful to a neighbor who might be struggling inside. Das Williams, an elected county supervisor who represents Montecito, struggled to read aloud the names of the dead, particularly those of the children.
“I’m not used to little kids dying,” he confessed. Williams urged tourists to visit neighboring Santa Barbara, which he hoped would restore a sense of normalcy. He also acknowledged that some businesses in Montecito have warned they’ll simply shut down forever if their town doesn’t get functioning soon.
“The timetable for getting back to normal isn’t known to anyone,” he said, a note of frustration creeping into his voice.
Back in the debris fields, that’s a fact local firefighters understand. The approximately 50 men and women of the Montecito Fire Department are working shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers as they pick through debris piles in search of bodies, stopping occasionally to rescue photos or other valuable items recognizable through the muck.
“Even when it’s all cleaned up, it’s going to look different,” Montecito firefighter Ryland McCracken said. “I think it’s changed all of us forever. There will always be ‘before this’ and ‘after this.’”