Photo Ray Ford
CONDOR TRAIL TALK: POSTPONED
Due to yesterdays tragic debris flows that ravaged the Thomas Fire and communities downstream, we’re postponing the Condor Trail Talk tonight and will reschedule for early February. Words can’t describe the devastation that was witnessed yesterday, mainly throughout the Montecito community. As I’m sure you all know, access along Hwy 101 is closed from Ventura to Santa Barbara and most of the side streets remain closed due to piles of debris, downed trees and everything else stacked up along the creek banks and roadways. Much of the community remains isolated and it seems likely even more devastation and loss will be uncovered as crews work to regain access. While most of the news understandably has been focused on Montecito, there has to be similar mudslides and flows in other communities as well. From what we’ve heard, Ojai seems to have fared okay but Hwy 33 is closed due to road damage above Wheeler Gorge (see photo below). We’ll certainly hear more in the coming days and lets hope for better news than we received from Montecito. It’s even scarier that this storm won’t be our last and most likely won’t be the largest either. Round 1 is in the books, Mother Nature 1, People 0.
The promising news is that warm drying weather is in the forecast for the next week or more. Access in and around the Los Padres will remain limited with closures occurring yesterday on just about all the Highways used to access the LP from Hwy 1 in Big Sur to Hwy 166, 150, 33 and of course 101. Be safe everyone and we hope to see you at the Condor Trail Talk in February.
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Highway 33 Undercut, photo CalTrans
