Montecito Hotels Remain Evacuated, Closed Indefinitely After Mudslides

One week after the mudslides in Santa Barbara, CA and area hotels remain evacuated. On the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore’s website, it says the resort will be closed for a period of time and its working to transport the limited number of guests to a site off-property. Similarly, the Montecito Inn’s site says “the Montecito area is in a state of emergency, and the hotel is currently evacuated.”

In addition, there is a mandatory evacuation for anyone in the following areas of Santa Barbara County, Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria, according to Official Santa Barbara County government Twitter site

  • North of Highway 192 to the U.S. Forest Service Boundary
  • East of Cold Springs Road to Toro Canyon Rd on the west
  • South of Highway 192 to the ocean
  • East of Sycamore Canyon Rd/Hot Springs Rd/Oak Rd/Olive Mill to Ortega Ridge Rd on the west

Portions of Highway 101 have also been closed indefinitely. For a stretch of seven miles from Carpineria to Santa Barbara, road crews are reportedly working 12-hour shirts to reopen the highway, according to The New York Times. The road is also closed to northbound traffic for 11 miles from State Route 150 to the city of Santa Barbara. 

For those who need to travel in the area, Amtrak has resumed service between Oxnard and Santa Barbara, according to The Los Angeles Times. It also says that Island Packers, which usually runs boat trips to the Channel Islands, is running shuttle service between Ventura and Santa Barbara harbors.

According to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, there have been 20 confirmed deaths from the mudslides while searches for missing persons remain ongoing. The Santa Barbara County Twitter account also said a Local Recovery and Assistance Center will open on Wednesday, January 17. 

The San Ysidro Ranch has not said whether it was affected by the mudslides but closed earlier this year due to damage from the Thomas Fire. It remains closed indefinitely. 

The following area attractions are open, however: Santa Barbara Zoo, Old Mission Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

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