Evacuation ordered ahead of possible mud, debris flows in San Bernardino County
A woman is carried away from the scene of a mud and rock slide in Montecito on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2017. (Photo by Michael Quine, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A woman is carried away from the scene of a mud and rock slide in Montecito on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2017. (Photo by Michael Quine, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A man is carried away from the scene of a mud and rock slide in Montecito on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2017. (Photo by Michael Quine, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
A woman is carried away from the scene of a mud and rock slide in Montecito on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2017. (Photo by Michael Quine, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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San Bernardino County officials ordered residents Sunday to “evacuate” to higher ground ahead of possible mud and debris flows.
The county’s director of emergency services, Gary Smith, said a flood control wall could fail in a debris flow and residents are being asked to seek higher ground as the “primary means of evacuation.”
“We’re trying to do a best-case scenario for our residents,” Smith told a news conference.
Residents have been warned that the sandboxes that normally store sand for future flooding could become filled with mud and rocks during the storms.
Smith said water from the Pacific Ocean has pushed the mountain streams out of their banks and into the river bed to create a debris flow, though it is not clear if it could trigger a mudflow or mudslide.
Smith said there were no reports of injuries.
An evacuation center for residents was established on the west end of Montecito. A second, more distant evacuation center will be established on the east end of Montecito.
Smith said he has identified “at least a dozen” homes in Montecito that may be affected.
A large number of homes were moved Saturday to higher ground, and as many as 500 people were taken to local shelters in place of their homes.
Smith said