Sigh of relief in Montecito as mild storm moves through area

MONTECITO, Calif. (KABC) -- There's a sigh of relief in parts of Santa Barbara County as a mild storm moves through the area on Tuesday.

Evacuation orders issued as a precaution on Monday were lifted at 10:30 a.m.

The power of January's deadly Montecito mudslide remains evident, with boulders left behind in an area creek and mud piled up in resident Mark Hudson's Yard just down the street.

Hudson's home was once again bordering a mandatory evacuation zone. In fact, he just packed up and left after a warning last week from another storm.

"We're ready. So we can just leave and jump in the car anytime we want," he said.

Santa Barbara County's office of emergency management remained in constant contact with all first responders in areas surrounding recent burn areas.

"Not just including the Thomas fire, but we're also looking at areas impacted by the Whittier fire, the Alamo and the Sherpa Fire, which was about two years ago," said Amber Anderson of the Santa Barbara Fire Department.

Two other storms are expected to hit Southern California this week, the last expected to be the most intense.