Cabins Washed Away by Flooding at Campground near Santa Barbara, California; More Than 20 Rescued

Sean Breslin
Published: January 20,2017
At least 20 campers were trapped by flooding that washed away cabins and vehicles at the El Capitan Canyon and Resort Campground Friday morning, but all were safely rescued.
The situation began to develop when floodwaters overtook parts of the campground just after 9 a.m. local time Friday morning, according to the Santa Ynez Valley News. Some were trapped in their cars in the private campground's parking lot, the report added. Crews worked quickly to extricate those trapped, and all were successfully rescued with no injuries, the Associated Press reported.
Floodwaters raged down El Capitan Creek, carrying away some five cabins and 15 vehicles, the Santa Barbara Independent reported. Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason told the Los Angeles Times that last summer's Sherpa fire left a large burn scar, which put the area in danger of flooding events.
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"All the water was coming down from the torrential downpour higher and higher and higher. Then all the debris kept backing up," campground employee Todd Martin told the Lompoc Record. "Then it took out the bridges and overflowed the bank, took out a bunch of cabins, cars. It was pretty hectic."
A swift water rescue was necessary for at least one person in the minutes following the flood's arrival at the campground. Capt. Dave Zaniboni, Santa Barbara County Fire public information officer, told the Lompoc Record that one person had to be saved after getting trapped in his or her car, and another person was able to get out of a vehicle without assistance.
"Since midnight, Santa Barbara has seen multiple rounds of heavy rain, accumulating to more than two and a half inches of rain," said weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles. "The heaviest rain fell in the 9:00 a.m. hour with rainfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour. Additional showers are possible through the weekend."
In Los Angeles, firefighters rescued five people from a flooded homeless camp. Four were rescued early Friday, but rescue crews spotted a fifth via helicopter later in the day and used a boat to pull them to safety.
As a result of the flooding, both ramps to Highway 101 were closed, the Santa Ynez Valley News also reported. At least 5,000 people from Goleta to Gaviota were sent warnings Friday morning from authorities who said they should prepare to evacuate from flooding, but aside from the campground, nobody has been ordered to evacuate yet, the Lompoc Record added.