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The County of Santa Barbara will host a virtual El Niño Community Meeting on October 1, 2026, 5:30–7 p.m. Learn about this year’s weather outlook, storm‑season preparations, and emergency information. Captioning and Spanish interpretation provided. Please register to attend.
County Readiness for the Upcoming Storm Season
County departments and partner agencies are coordinating closely to get ahead of winter weather. Public Works, Fire, Sheriff, Community Services, and Emergency Management are working with FEMA, the National Weather Service, state and federal water agencies, and the Army Corps, along with cities and nonprofits, to ensure the whole community is prepared.
Behind the scenes, teams are updating emergency systems, improving damage‑assessment tools, running trainings and exercises, and strengthening agreements to stage flood‑fighting materials early. They’re also reviewing wildfire burn areas to identify where debris flows may occur and what rainfall could trigger evacuations.
Field Operations Across the County
Santa Barbara County Fire Department is monitoring the weather changes this El Niño may bring and is well trained and equipped to meet the needs of the County. Water-rescue training is maintained year-round. Sandbags are available to the public, and any positioning of personnel or specialized equipment, including watercraft and helicopters, will be directed by the Fire Chief as conditions warrant.
County Flood Control has several major projects underway to improve basins and channels while preparing crews for storm response, debris basin management, levee patrols, and sandbag distribution.
County Transportation teams are inspecting and clearing culverts, securing emergency contracts, and are ready to assess road conditions and notify the public of any closures. Parks and Community Services are clearing culverts, reinforcing beach berms, preparing trails for potential closure, and ensuring that shelter beds are available if needed.
