CA Mudslides: Thousands Mourn Victims Killed, Town Destroyed

MONTECITO, CA -- Thousands gathered Sunday evening at the Santa Barbara courthouse to mourn the 20 people killed in a devastating mudslide that swept though the small coastal town of Montecito last week.

A picturesque town along the Pacific Ocean home to roughly 9,000 people, Montecito suffered through a massive wildfire in December, before a rainstorm brought mudslides last Tuesday. Roughly 65 homes were destroyed and another 462 were damaged in Montecito.

"Tonight, we need to mourn. It is breathtakingly horrible. Our community is going through something it has never gone through," said Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams, according to the Associated Press. Williams read the names of the 20 victims as tears rolled down faces in the audience.

On Sunday afternoon, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown announced rescuers had found the body of Pinit Sutthithepa, a 30-year-old father, in the debris on Hot Springs Road near Olive Mills Road. His 6-year-old son Peerawat, and 79-year-old father-in-law Richard Taylor, were found dead earlier in the week. The youngest child of the Sutthithepa family, 2-year-old Lydia, was still missing Monday, along with two other Montecito residents.

"We ask that you hold Pinit's family very close to your hearts," Brown said. "We know the suffering of those who knew and loved the victims is immense. There are so many people who are thinking of you, not just here in Santa Barbara County, but across the globe. We extend to you our deepest sympathies."

Brown told reporters after careful consideration, officials decided to transition "from a search and rescue mission to a search and recovery mission."

"Despite these tremendous efforts, it is now more than 130 hours since this tragedy occurred," Brown said.

The change means that some personnel will be relieved, while others will work to clear debris and restore water and power to the city that remains evacuated. The decision to focus on clearing debris comes as rain might be possible next week.

Rob Lewin, director of the Santa Barbara County Emergency Management Office, said Saturday that the blocked drainage channels in the Montecito area of the county meant that even if a storm of less intensity hit, the area could see 'more mud and flow,'" NBC reported.

"We have got to get those channels ready or we're going to have more mud and flow under a storm that would be of less intensity," Lewin told NBC.

The following three people are still missing:

• John "Jack" Cantin, 17
• Faviola Benitez Calderon, 28
• Lydia Sutthithepa, 2

--Photo: People attend a candlelight vigil in Santa Barbara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018, to pay tribute to the people who were killed when mudslides ravaged a Southern California. (AP Photo/Mike Balsamo)

Also See:

CA Mudslides: How To Help Victims In Montecito

California Mudslides: 20th Victim Found Sunday

OC Search & Rescue Dog Jester Aids In Montecito Mudslide Rescue