101 is open but Montecito is still a mess

 (Highway 101)After a week or two of being closed at Ventura to Milpas in Santa Barbara it is open again as of about a week ago now. Since there are only two major thoroughfares really through most of California  (north south) and one of them is 101 and the biggest one is Interstate 5 from Mexico to Oregon which goes on up into Canada also, they really needed to re-open the coast route of 101.

However, this doesn't help that much the people who live in Montecito who still don't have utilities or roads that are cleared to get home to their houses. So, even if you got rescued by helicopters, unless you walked back into your homes with no electricity, water or power available with septic issues and poison issues exuding from the muddy and rocky and many branches and trees mess that remains you still can't get in and out to your home, you still don't have water or power (unless you are running a generator) and if you can't drive in then likely you have already run out of gas or diesel for your generator, and even if you have a generator with gas you don't have water or sewage. So, the problem goes on and on.

And then if you have people who want to help clear the roads of mud and rocks and debris you still haven't found all the potential bodies of people so you might not want to be surprised by finding a body a few weeks to a month old now either.

So, 101 is now open but Montecito is still a mess in Caifornia.

And even when it is okay (wonder when?) the next rainstorm could do the same or worse out of the mountains and even close 101 once again. So, the problem is far from being solved this year at least.

we still have 3 friends staying in a family home in Santa Barbara not affected by the mud slides because they can't get back to their homes still either. Their homes are still there without roads, water, power or sewage available. So, being in their 70s or older there is no way to get back to their homes until who knows when?

Friends are helping friends all over the state now because Montecito is just such a disaster and might remain one until the summer at least at this point because of more potential rain storms and other problems.