JANUARY 10, 2018 — from Kim Holmquist. Perhaps some of you have been wondering how things are in Santa Barbara, after our most recent blow from Mother Nature. Here in downtown Santa Barbara all is fine but not so for Montecito.
I finally spoke with my daughter a little while ago. They were marooned with no electricity, water or gas on Toro Canyon. All utility connections are just hanging in the air! They are all okay though and managed to sneak out by all sorts of devious routes which took them 2 hours and are now staying at a local hotel! Kirsten’s last home (along with several others) on Glen Oaks was evidently also swept away by mud and her next door neighbor is missing, presumed dead. Her son was on Good Morning America this morning and said as much. Her husband and daughter were able to be rescued from the roof. Ironically, the home Kir and Darrell owned before has also been destroyed though both are in areas normally considered safe. She tells me that even what you see on the news can’t adequately describe how really horrible it is. Many of their friends who have lost everything don’t have flood insurance so they are hoping that the insurance commissioner will declare that this is all tied to the fire (which of course it is!) and therefore should be covered by their fire insurance. I also just heard from a friend from the hills of Montecito whose house burned because of gas explosion next door! They fortunately had evacuated the night before. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Kim
(January 25, story continues)
This came out in the New Yorker and T.C. Boyle writes so well about our anguish I thought I’d share it with you. They found one of the missing yesterday, so now there are still two, a two year old child who lost other family members, and my grandson’s best friend whose father was one of the first to be found. His sister, 14, and a friend my granddaughter’s, was found buried in the mud but survived. Now they are wondering if these last two were swept out to sea!
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/after-the-mudslides-an-absence-in-montecito?mbid=social_twitter#nws=mcnewsletter
Kim
The freeway finally opened on Sunday though exits in Montecito are still closed as they continue to clear the debris. My daughter and family can’t get home as their utilities aren’t restored. But every day there are big strides being made, the firemen and police are true heroes, the sun is still shining brightly, and so we are grateful!
Kim
