These are videos Jon Knight, Capt. Big Sur Fire took after he and his family evacuated their home and went to higher ground.
Day: January 27, 2021
Highway One closure extended for reassessment Friday
| Date: | Wednesday, January 27, 2021 at 5:00 pm |
| District: | 05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties |
| Contact: | Kevin Drabinski or Jim Shivers |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HIGHWAY 1 CLOSURE ON THE BIG SUR COAST EXTENDED
PENDING ASSESSMENTS THIS FRIDAY
MONTEREY and SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES – A full closure of Highway 1 on the Big Sur Coast will now remain in effect through Friday Jan. 29. The extension of this closure is in support of ongoing evacuations that are expected to continue into Thursday and Friday this week and to assess damage from this week’s rainstorm.
This closure extends from Ragged Point in San Luis Obispo County to just south of Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn in Monterey County (44.6 miles). The closure began on Tuesday Jan. 26, at 5 pm.
Monterey County has issued an Evacuation Order for areas downslope of the Dolan Fire burn scar where this storm brings an increased likelihood of debris flows.
Caltrans is working with local agencies to minimize travel into Big Sur to allow residents and businesses to evacuate in the safest conditions possible.
There are several areas of moderate damage, rockfall, and mudflows on Highway 1 inside the closure. Significant rain is expected this evening and the overnight hours.
Assessments are expected to take place Friday morning, Jan. 29, prior to any decision about a possible reopening of the highway or modifications to the highway closure.
More information will be known following these assessments and an update will be provided Friday afternoon.
Mill Creek Day use area — 1/27/21
NOTE: I am still updating and adding information to the general storm report today, the post after this one.
More photos of Mill Creek sent to me by Ge but unknown who took them
All these photos were take by Adalaine Long and Susan Cappell Gutberlet of Plaskett Creek Campgrounds.
Per Susan on above photos: “Up creek I can see Mill Creek Ranch Road. Cleared the creek all the way up to Gi’s place.
The one with the mysterious ladder is facing Southbound HWY 1.
One photo shows the stairways from the parking lot to the lower level picnic area now stairs to nowhere. Tables and BBQ grills are gone…washed into the sea.
All that is left is literally the parking area.”
Ge sent me this one, it was taken by Wade of Cal Trans. He contacted me this morning saying he and his family left yesterday afternoon and asked to me to let people know they were okay.
Weds. 1/27/21 — Storm Report
Dolan Fire Burn Scar is now in the high risk category. From NWS:
⚠️Portions of coastal-central California have been upgraded to a HIGH risk of excessive rainfall through early tomorrow morning. Continued heavy rainfall over burn scar areas is producing life-threatening flooding and debris flows. #CAwx
More info here: wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/hp…
Mud flow at MM 27. Photo by Mark Readdie of Big Creek
9:15 am— I am a little late with this one. MM 35 is Anderson Canyon
Incident: 00137 Type: Road/Weather Conditions Location: 3500 Mm1 N Mon 35.00 Loc Desc: Lat/Lon: 36.149374 -121.661950
| Detail Information | ||
| 8:27 AM | 12 | [20] AND CLOSURE STILL IN EFFECT FROM LAST NIGHT MM 42 TO JSO THE COUNTY LINE PER 12 |
| 8:27 AM | 11 | [19] 1039 STATE PARKS |
| 8:25 AM | 10 | [18] CALTRANS HAS EQUIP IN AREA / WILL ATTEMPT TO CLEAR AT LEAST ONE LANE / ADV STATE PARKS -THEY HAVE RANGER ON SOUTH SIDE OF SLIDE |
| 8:00 AM | 9 | [16] HAS LOADER AND TK ENRT TO CLR RDWY / UNK ETA |
| 7:59 AM | 8 | [15] [Notification] [CHP]-DOT LL / SUPERVISOR ETA 0900 |
| 7:57 AM | 7 | [13] 1039 DOT , DOT ADVISED SPVSR SHOULD BE 97 AT CALTRANS BIG SUR STN |
| 7:55 AM | 6 | [9] THIS IS WITHIN CLOSURE ESTABLISHED YESTERDAY |
| 7:53 AM | 5 | [8] 1039 SLO COMM TO ALSO ADV IF THEY HAVE ANY AREAS CLOSED |
| 7:53 AM | 4 | [7] PER 27-S1 NTFY SLO CHP, 1039 |
| 7:51 AM | 3 | [5] 1039 27-S1 VIA LLINE |
| 7:50 AM | 2 | [4] 1039 MTRY COM |
| 7:50 AM | 1 | [1] COMPLETE 1125 /MUD SLIDE / NO PASSABLE BY EMERG VEHS / |
| Unit Information | ||
| 7:50 AM | 3 | Unit At Scene |
| 7:50 AM | 2 | Unit Enroute |
| 7:50 AM | 1 | Unit Assigned |
7:15 am — for any of you asking on FB, twitter, or here about slides, debris flows, etc. The highway is closed and most of my friends are smart enough not to get out there to look, so I have no information. IF I do get a report from a friend, Cal Trans or MoCo, I will post it here first.
10-15” expected in my neck of the woods in the next 48 hours:
6:30 am — Chalk Peak got .67” of rain in the last hour:
6:30 — rain continues, heavy at times, but no more lightning, thankfully. John Lindsey reported about 4:30 this am: “The area of white over the Central Coast represents 6+ inches of rainfall in the next 24-hours. The #ECMWF has increased the size of the 6+ area, while the #GFS has kept it the same since the last model runs. These numbers are literally off the scale.”
5:15 am — At approximately 4:30 am the frontal band (I am assuming that’s what it was) came through here with a vengeance, The thunder & lightning were simultaneous and the doggos, particularly my BC were out of their skins and shaking so bad, trying to find a place to hide, preferably inside me. There was no going back to sleep after that performance. So it was up, get the generator started, coffee made, and fire stoked from last night. I suspect it will be a long day. Also, my satellite internet seems to be in and out, but mostly in at the moment. We are in a bit of calm at the moment. I’ll keep this post open and running all day and add to it as indicated,
| Detail Information | ||
| 4:25 AM | 3 | [3] DUE TO FLOODING and MUD DEBRIS |
| 4:24 AM | 2 | [2] NB RIVER RD CLOSED AT CHUALAR RIVER RD |
| 4:24 AM | 1 | [1] SB RIVER RD CLOSED AT PARKER RD |