In Remembrance: January 9, 2018
On the eighth anniversary of the deadly debris flow that killed 23 people in Montecito, we commemorate the disaster's victims with a short documentary recounting the catastrophe.
By Hap Freund and Melinda Burns
In the early morning hours of January 9, 2018, torrential rains unleashed a series of mudslides and boulders that roared down the hillsides of Montecito, killing 23 people and damaging hundreds of homes, scarring the landscape and the psyches of our community.
A year later, on the first anniversary of this tragic event, we released this 22-minute video as a testament to both the trauma and the resiliency our citizens.
The mudslide was caused, in large part by the aftermath of the month-long Thomas Fire, which, at the time, was the largest wildfire in California history.
We wrote and produced this documentary to remember the victims, and to honor the voices of those who survived and helped the community heal.
Image: Highway 101 was closed after being inundated by torrents of water, debris and huge boulders that poured down in the Jan. 9, 2018 disaster (Mike Eliason for Santa Barbara County Fire Department).
JR & Melinda, as a longtime and past East Valley Road resident (very close to the Skene’s) it is important that we never allow anyone to forget that crazy day! Yes, the community came together and the bucket brigade and follow-on NFP efforts (Resilient Communities) were Montecito-admirable/unique BUT keeping the reality of where we live front and center is imperative because—and yes, I will rant—the County’s lack of competence Re: creek/flow maintenance was unconscionable. So too were the daily public briefings where in the middle of the deadly disaster the County fell all over itself to tout their response…. only in SB-land where, sometimes, being tone deaf is part of the zeitgeist. THANKS AGAIN!