FLOOD WATCH, EVACUATION ORDER
& SBMS OPEN REGULAR HOURS
Dear SBMS Families,
We wanted to make sure everyone is aware of the flash flood warning and recent evacuation order from Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management:
FLASH FLOOD WATCH 6 p.m. Tues., March 5 to 11 a.m. Wed., March 6
• DO NOT drive into flooded roadways or across moving water.
• Use headlights when windshield wipers are being used.
• Reduce driving speed; allow more time for your journey.
• Check that windshield wipers are in good condition.
EVACUATION ORDER
: The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office has issued an EVACUATION ORDER for the Thomas/Whittier/Sherpa fire burn areas due to strong storm arriving March 5. If you are in a Debris Flow Risk Area you are ordered to evacuate by 4 p.m., Tuesday, March 5. To view the evacuation map, visit go to
www.ReadySBC.org
.
A Red Cross Evacuation Center will open at 4 p.m., March 5 at Goleta Valley Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave., Goleta
For questions or assistance, call the Santa Barbara County Emergency Call Center at (833) 688-5551 or 2-1-1.
For more information and to check if your home is in the debris flow risk area, go to
www.readysbc.org
.
EVACUATING TODAY
For those living in an evacuation zone, we're sure most of you have plans in place for today's evacuation at 4 pm. We hope everyone will stay off the roads as much as possible tonight and tomorrow morning! Please let us know if you need help evacuating or finding a place to go.
APPROACHING STORM SYSTEM: ANTICIPATED RAIN INTENSITY
Rains are anticipated to be heaviest around 6:00 pm today and between 2:00 - 3:00 am tomorrow morning.
Peak rain rates of 0.50 to 0.80 inches per hour will be possible with locally higher rates in thunderstorms of up to an inch per hour along with heavy 15 and 30 minute bursts of rainfall.
Shallow mud and debris flows will be likely in recent burn scars with a slight chance of locally damaging debris flows. In addition, roadway flooding is likely, especially in low lying areas, along with rock and mudslides on canyon roads and below steep terrain.
POTENTIAL ROAD CLOSURES
With possible mud and debris flows predicted, there is an increased chance for road closures. Should any road closures be in place, please make plans to be able to get your child to school (if you can do so safely). If in doubt, don't drive onto flooded roads or across moving water.
SBMS OPEN
We will be open for regular hours*; by keeping school open we strive to bring a sense of normalcy to our community. Should we need to close, we will give as much advance notice as possible. For any questions regarding our school hours or schedule, please contact the
Main Office.
*Tomorrow's Rock Climbing Diamond Time class is canceled.
FINDING & SHARING HOMES
If you have extra rooms in your house, a guest house, or a vacation rental, and could host an evacuated family, please let
Phoebe
know. Alternatively, if you can provide additional support for evacuated families or students, such as hosting them for a meal or helping with a carpool, please let us know. Thank you in advance for your support of our SBMS family community!
Thank you to our tremendous community, our first responders, and our families who have been through so much this past year.
Brian & the Teachers/Staff of SBMS
