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Mudslides Close Part of Highway 101 in California Mudslides Close Part of Highway 101 in California
(about 1 hour later)
The death toll in the mudslides that buried parts of Montecito, Calif., in muck and boulders has risen to 19, officials said, and portions of Highway 101 will remain closed indefinitely. The death toll in the mudslides that buried parts of Montecito, Calif., in muck and boulders has risen to 20, officials said on Sunday, and portions of Highway 101 will remain closed indefinitely.
“No one could have planned for the size and scope of what a 200-year storm, immediately following our largest wildfire, would bring,” Eric Peterson, the chief of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said at a news conference on Saturday.“No one could have planned for the size and scope of what a 200-year storm, immediately following our largest wildfire, would bring,” Eric Peterson, the chief of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said at a news conference on Saturday.
Road crews are working 12-hour shifts to reopen the highways, said Jim Shivers, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans.Road crews are working 12-hour shifts to reopen the highways, said Jim Shivers, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans.
Highway 101, a major artery on the Central Coast, is closed to northbound traffic from the border of Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties to the city of Santa Barbara. Highway 101, a major artery on the Central Coast used by up to 79,000 vehicles per day, is closed for a stretch of about seven miles from Carpinteria to Santa Barbara, Mr. Shivers said in an email on Sunday.
The highway is also closed to southbound traffic from South Milpas Street in the city of Santa Barbara to Padaro Lane, near Summerland, a beach town in Santa Barbara County, the department said. The highway is also closed to northbound traffic for about 11 miles from State Route 150 to the city of Santa Barbara.
“This is a major undertaking for every agency, including ours,” Mr. Shivers said. “I wish I could say when Highway 101 will reopen. I can tell you that it will, but I don’t have a specific date or time at the present.”“This is a major undertaking for every agency, including ours,” Mr. Shivers said. “I wish I could say when Highway 101 will reopen. I can tell you that it will, but I don’t have a specific date or time at the present.”
He said road crews were confronting a “massive amount of water” on the highway. “Once we can get that water to recede, we feel very confident that we can bring in the available equipment on standby, get down to the bottom, and move the heavy material out of the way,” he said.He said road crews were confronting a “massive amount of water” on the highway. “Once we can get that water to recede, we feel very confident that we can bring in the available equipment on standby, get down to the bottom, and move the heavy material out of the way,” he said.
He did not have an estimate about when State Route 192 would reopen. It is closed from the junction of State Route 144 in Santa Barbara to the junction of State Route 150.He did not have an estimate about when State Route 192 would reopen. It is closed from the junction of State Route 144 in Santa Barbara to the junction of State Route 150.
Capt. Cindy Pontes of the California Highway Patrol told travelers to consider using either Amtrak or ferries as an alternate route of transportation.Capt. Cindy Pontes of the California Highway Patrol told travelers to consider using either Amtrak or ferries as an alternate route of transportation.
“Again, we just ask for your patience,” she said. “We know that emotions are running really high right now and people are really upset about the 101 being closed. We are, too. We want it to be open because it has an effect on everyone.”“Again, we just ask for your patience,” she said. “We know that emotions are running really high right now and people are really upset about the 101 being closed. We are, too. We want it to be open because it has an effect on everyone.”
The mudslides have killed at least 19, destroyed 65 homes and damaged hundreds more. The closures will be “extremely disruptive” because there is so little redundancy in the road network between Ventura and Santa Barbara, making it somewhat analogous to a bridge or tunnel closure, Brian D. Taylor, the director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a phone interview on Sunday.
A search team discovered the 19th victim, Morgan Christine Corey, 25, on Saturday, officials said. Her 12-year-old sister, Sawyer Corey, was also among those who died. If people are traveling between those two areas, “they won’t be able to maintain anything close to the normal pattern,” he said.
The number of people missing has decreased to five from 43, Sheriff Bill Brown of Santa Barbara County said. Officials are continuing to search for victims. In addition to killing at least 20 people, the mudslides have destroyed 65 homes and damaged hundreds more.
A search team discovered the 19th victim, Morgan Christine Corey, 25, on Saturday, officials said. Her 12-year-old sister, Sawyer Corey, was also among those who died. The 20th victim has not yet been identified.
The number of people missing has decreased to four, Santa Barbara County reported on Sunday. Officials are continuing to search for victims.