The death toll remains at 17, but officials say 43 people are now unaccounted for as a result of Tuesday’s disastrous flooding in Santa Barbara County.
The number of missing stood at eight for most of the day Thursday, but additional reports of people who are unaccounted for came in during the day.
More than 600 people are now involved in the efforts to find additional survivors.
The names of the 17 confirmed dead have been released, and the victims range from a three year old girl to an 89 year old man. They include a well known local educator, and a prominent real estate agent.
Officials say with search teams and repair crews continuing to pour into the area, they have issued new mandatory evacuation orders effective Thursday night for most of Montecito. They say traffic on the often narrow streets has hampered search efforts, as well as cleanup and repair work.
