Churches and schools rang bells in harmony, firefighters lit 23 candles and a moment of silence was taken on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the tragic and destructive Montecito debris flows.
“Anniversaries of tragedy are painful reminders for those who lost their homes or livelihoods, reminders of the challenges that they have faced — and are still facing — on the very difficult road to recovery,” Chief Kevin Taylor of the Montecito Fire Protection District said at the virtual “Raising Our Light” ceremony Saturday night. “But just as we rose up together in 2018, we can rise up together in love, support and remembrance.”
In the dark morning hours of Jan. 9, 2018, a flash flood crashed through the Montecito community, forcing widespread evacuations, destroying homes, uprooting trees and stealing the lives of 23 people.
The historic Thomas Fire burned through 282,000 acres in December 2017, wreaking havoc on the Montecito mountains. The fire-damaged hills were no match for the intense rainfall of that January night, and massive debris flows ripped through the community.
The Montecito debris flows were the deadliest disaster in recent Santa Barbara history, destroying 100 single-family homes and severely damaging 300 others.
To remember the tragedy and honor the lives of its victims, the Montecito Fire Protection District hosted the virtual ceremony.
Firefighters lit 23 candles to honor the 23 people who died in the debris flows. They stood in a solemn moment of silence, remembering and honoring both the victims and the survivors in the community.
In synchrony, Montecito schools and churches rang their bells 23 times. A searchlight at Montecito Union School shined a bright light into the dark sky as a symbol of community support and solidarity.
“We have just endured an incredibly difficult and painful year and are still in the midst of a global pandemic, but that does not take away from the real experiences of loss and hardship that this community has endured over the last three years, and that many community members are still experiencing today,” Taylor said.
“We learned in 2018 that solidarity, cooperation, and caring were the keys to rebuilding a resilient community in the wake of tragedy, and that is still just as true in 2021.”
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
