Weeks of continual rain have brought more water to California than the state can handle. With historic flooding in Southern California causing devastation, one Santa Barbara resident used his kayak to get home. The man, Derek, told KEYT it was "the only way" to get to his house safely. The recent rainstorms flooded his neighborhood along Spring Street and De La Guerra Road.
Cars lining the streets were submerged in water, and many residents could not return home due to the flooding. The flooding and mudslides were so severe that officials evacuated many Santa Barbara and Montecito areas. The California Highway Patrol closed Highway 101 through Ventura on Monday, reopening it Tuesday afternoon. Highway 154 and northbound 101 in Carpinteria remained closed. Area residents are dealing with downed trees and power outages on top of the flooding and mudslides.
Santa Barbara's police department has answered at least 160 calls related to the storm, including rescues. The city's fire department has also responded to many calls for rescues in the area. The department urges residents to respect the barricades and not attempt to enter closed areas.
The area is bracing for two additional storms heading in later in the week. According to the National Weather Service, "The relentless parade of cyclones that have been targeting California in the past week is forecast to shift focus and impact areas farther to the north." The northeastern focus of the storm is expected bring excessive rain to the northern parts of the state.
"By Friday night, this somewhat stagnant pattern will show signs of breaking down, allowing the next Pacific cyclone to direct yet another surge of atmospheric river toward California by Saturday morning," reports said.
AccuWeather said the state accumulated a month's worth of rain in just one day earlier in the week.
"The challenge is they're storms eight and nine in the sequence, and the cumulative effect is likely to cause impacts larger than the storms themselves might cause," said Michael Anderson, a climatologist with the Department of Water Resources.
