# County of Santa Barbara El Niño Community Meeting

The County of Santa Barbara’s virtual El Niño community preparedness meeting on October 2, 2026, brought together the National Weather Service and county emergency management, fire, public works, flood control, transportation, community services, and sheriff’s representatives. Speakers described forecasts for potentially warmer and wetter-than-normal conditions while emphasizing that El Niño does not determine specific storms and that residents should prepare without panicking. County preparations include maintaining and clearing channels, culverts, and drains; training staff and coordinating with partner agencies; staging response supplies; and making county sandbags available beginning October 15. The meeting also covered flood and evacuation alerts, road closures, power outages, burn-scar hazards, and preparedness resources for residents. No motions or votes were reported.

Procurement and capital-project discussion focused on flood-control and roadway work. Flood Control reported that on-call contracts are in place for rapid storm response and described ongoing capital projects, including improvements to the Orchid-Solomon and Mud Lake basins, the San Roque debris basin, and the Lower Mission Creek flood-control project. Transportation officials said approximately $1.5 million had been spent over the past three years on Refugio Road repairs; remaining work is estimated at $6–8 million, with funding still being pursued and preliminary design underway for increased capacity at low-water crossings. Public Works also outlined seasonal maintenance and planned creek work. These were status updates; no new contract awards or purchasing approvals were announced.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** October 02, 2026

### Sources
- [County of Santa Barbara El Niño Community Meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iko0pGoxTgo) - County of Santa Barbara — CSBTV20