Five deaths have been confirmed as a result of flash floods, debris flows and mudslides in the Montecito area early Tuesday morning.
A number of homes were destroyed, or damaged as a result of the storm.
Firefighters, and other public safety workers also rescued a number of people, including a 14 year old girl who was trapped in the debris of a damaged home. Helicopters were used as part of the rescue effort.
The storm closed a number of major highways in the region, including Highway 101. Flooding forced the highway's shutdown near the Santa Barbara Zoo. With Highway 192 closed, and Highway 150 shut down from Lake Casitas to Carpinteria, travel from Ventura to Santa Barbara County was completely disrupted.
Thousands of commuters and travelers were stranded by the highway closures. A number of schools in the region also canceled classes for the day.
The heaviest rainfall hit Santa Barbara County, with storm totals at 9 a.m. topping two inches in some areas. Montecito had 2.6", Carpinteria 2" and Downtown Santa Barbara 1.4." Ventura County didn't get hit as hard, with 1.7" in Ojai and .07" in Ventura.
