Although parts of Santa Barbara County were drenched during the past few days and saw some flooding, county officials say water levels at local reservoirs have not seen much change.

Public safety and Public Works appeared at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday to share the fallout from the recent storm and how they prepared.

Chris Sneddon, director of Public Works, said the county experienced differences in the amount of rain, and the storm subsided before causing major issues.

“While overall it was a good storm, there were areas where, if it had kept raining at some of the intensities it did, we could have had some issues,” Sneddon said. “We’re fortunate that we didn’t.”

Santa Barbara recorded more than 9.5 inches of rain in this recent storm, making it the wettest start to the rainy season in the county’s 127 years of records. The county’s rainfall pushed the region to 44% of the annual total average, which is impressive for November.

Despite the heavy rain, Sneddon said it has not had a major effect on local reservoirs, and storage levels have not changed much from their pre-storm levels.

“While it has been a wet start, that doesn’t necessarily mean overall that the year is going to be a wet year,” Sneddon said.

Widespread flooding was reported Friday through Monday, and some Santa Barbara roadways had water deep enough to strand cars and force residents to wade through water to get to their homes. Downed trees also caused some damage and power outages in the South Coast.

Deputy Fire Chief Anthony Stornetta told the board that despite a higher volume of calls and debris in the road, there were no major injuries reported from other local fire agencies.

Stornetta also gave an update on the area affected by the Lake Fire in 2024, saying that everything looked good. He said he traveled up to the site, and there has been enough plant growth to help the dirt from destabilizing.

“We got some good growth from last year,” Stornetta said. “Although it’s not deep-rooted growth, we have growth. We have some good vegetation out there. It’s holding everything back.”

He added that the sites where the Madre Fire and the Gifford Fire occurred also seem to be doing well in handling the rain. There was some debris and damage to the road near Pine Canyon, but Stornetta said residents are still able to get in and out of the area.

Heavy rain soon after a wildfire can cause flooding and debris flows, but the most intense downpours of the recent storm happened on the South Coast, not in the North County areas of those wildfires.

Skies cleared Monday evening and Tuesday, but another chance of rain is headed to the region on Thursday. Stornetta advised residents to stay cautious and drive carefully.

“People think they see the sun out and then things are safe, but that’s not always the case,” he said.

JD Saucedo, emergency manager from the Office of Emergency Management, reminded the public that they manage a website with updates on storms and other incidents at ReadySBC.org. The office releases updates in English and Spanish.

Saucedo encouraged people to sign up for emergency alerts from ReadySBC, which can be sent by text message, phone call, email or a combination of those methods.

“Furthermore, OEM asks the community to look out for your neighbors and be aware of any vulnerable community members who may need assistance staying safe,” Saucedo said.