have been living in Santa Barbara County for more than 30 years, and during that time, the politics of the community have been a constant source of both wonder and amusement to me.
A good example is when the Historic Landmarks Committee voted in 2007 to approve plans to paint a 1,000-foot blue stripe throughout downtown Santa Barbara to show where the sea would rise if Greenland were to melt as a result of global warming. They actually thought (or think) Greenland will melt. Amazing!
The project generated such a storm of protest and ridicule that the city eventually abandoned it.
Now, just four short years later, the City of Santa Barbara Fire Department and the county Office of Emergency Services have been working with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to have Santa Barbara designated as a “tsunami ready” city. Preparations include posting signs on the beaches, warning that the area will be inundated in the event of a tsunami.
Now, I ask you, is there anyone in Santa Barbara who doesn’t know that if a tsunami of the magnitude of the one that hit Sendai, Japan, should happen in Santa Barbara, they should get to higher ground as the water floods the area?
It doesn’t take a genius to see that they should “head for the hills,” or does it?
Even visitors who may be unfamiliar with Santa Barbara can see the hills that overlook the city. So, do the local authorities actually think people are so stupid that they will just stand still while ocean waters rush in and inundate the area?
As for the signs that they plan to put on the beaches, are they going to be on 10- or 20-foot posts so people can read them as they swim by?
Harris Sherline
Buellton