Santa Barbara County Reaches Out to Homeowners Impacted by Natural Disasters

Firefighters trying to protect a home during the Thomas Fire (Photo Credit: Kari Greer U.S.F.S)

Source: County of Santa Barbara

As long-term recovery efforts continue in Montecito, Santa Barbara County officials are reaching out to homeowners facing unique challenges in repairing and rebuilding in the aftermath of the Thomas Fire and 1/9 Debris Flow. Case managers through the County’s Planning and Development Department can help homeowners navigate through the process of debris management, permitting and more. County officials are particularly focused on homeowners not currently linked to case management support.

Several resources are available to inform and assist homeowners, including an interactive map of affected properties and rebuilding guidelines, available at the County’s Planning and Development website www.SBCountyPlanning.org. All 309 properties in Montecito presently identified as either damaged or destroyed have assigned case managers.

“Case managers will work directly with the property owners through the permitting process as well as provide guidance on communication with other departments and agencies such as the Flood Control District,” said Dianne Black, assistant director for Santa Barbara County’s Planning and Development Department. However, approximately 2/3 of owners of these properties have not been in contact with a Planning and Development case manager.

Added Ben Romo, community recovery and engagement coordinator for Santa Barbara County’s Office of Emergency Management, “We continue to encounter homeowners at the Montecito Center who feel overwhelmed by the massive task of starting over, often at a time when they are also dealing with profound trauma and great personal loss.”

“Connecting homeowners with their case managers, people who are specifically devoted to helping them, is an enormous benefit to beginning the rebuilding and recovery process for some of our most impacted neighbors. We invite all homeowners needing assistance to call or come see us at the Montecito Center for Preparedness, Recovery and Rebuilding. We want to help in whatever way we can,” he added.

Staff at the Montecito Center can link homeowners to assigned case managers and assist in accessing resources to meet a variety of recovery needs.

The Montecito Center for Preparedness, Recovery and Rebuilding is located at 1283 Coast Village Circle, Montecito, CA 93108. The phone number is 805-845-7887 and the email address is montecitocenter@sbcoem.org.

Montecito Center Hours of Operation:
The following schedule has been established for the Montecito Center to provide residents and businesses with a variety of times as noted below: