Officials say they’re making a lot of progress towards clearing, and repairing Highway 101 in the wake of the huge January 9th storm which closed it between Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. But, they say as of Friday night, they aren't sure they'll reach a goal of reopening the freeway on Monday.
Caltrans District 5 Director Tim Gubbens says the mud and debris has been removed, and the focus is on clearing drainage systems and repairing damaged infrastructure. He says they hope to have a better idea of when it will be ready to reopen on Saturday.
The death toll still stands at 20. Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown says more than 900 people are involved in search efforts for the three people still missing. A number of additional human remains search dogs are being brought into the search effort over the weekend.
More than 10,000 people are still impacted by mandatory evacuation orders. Officials say they can’t say when they will be able to go home, because it depends on the reopening of Highway 101 as well as Coast Village Road, and the restoration of key utilities.
