News

NEWS RELEASE

January 11, 2023 (6:30 p.m.)

Storm Update and Resources

Santa Marians are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity between rain storms to stock up on supplies, and fill up and place sand bags. Stay away from the Santa Maria River and flooded basins. Turn around if driving toward flood water, it can hide hazards.

The amount of record rain experienced in Monday’s storm in the Santa Maria Valley increased runoff from agricultural fields beyond what the flood control system is designed to handle. Santa Maria has so far been fortunate compared to other local communities such as Orcutt and Guadalupe where homes were flooded. More predicted rain is coming.

City leadership has spoken with Congressmember Salud Carbajal and Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s office, among other agencies, conveying the situation to them.

The City continues to deploy resources to protect the public and to prevent or limit damage to property and infrastructure.

Today until Friday, large amounts of runoff water are being pumped out of a flood control basin in the northwest portion of the Santa Maria. This project is both to alleviate hazards to the neighborhood and also to make room for predicted weekend rain. The City, in cooperation with Santa Barbara County, is pumping water out of the large Blosser Basin, into the Blosser Channel, which discharges into the Santa Maria River to the north.

Resources are available. Residents may stay informed by using an interactive City road closure map posted online at https://arcg.is/1evPrj1.  This interactive map also has links to where to get free sand at five locations within the City.

Residents need assistance with obtaining services from a Federal agency (for example, recovering destroyed documents such as passports), they can contact the offices of Rep. Carbajal online at https://carbajal.house.gov/constituent-services/casework/ or the offices of Sen. Dianne Feinstein online at https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/submit-casework.

Those experiencing homelessness can contact the Warming Center Hotline at (805) 324-2372.

Department:                            City Manager’s Office

Contact Person:                     Mark van de Kamp, Public Information Manager

Telephone Number:                (805) 925-0951 ext. 2372 or cell (805) 720-4038

E-mail Address:                       mvandekamp@cityofsantamaria.org