Throughout December, the Thomas Fire tore through Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and destroyed over 1,000 structures while claiming the lives of two people- becoming the largest wildfire in recorded California history.
A couple of weeks ago, before the Thomas Fire was even done burning, fast, powerful rains brought the freshly burned hillsides cascading down in an instant. Montecito, an area right below the burn scar, was hit the hardest by the mudslides, and hundreds of homes that were narrowly saved from the fires were completely demolished by mud, boulders, and trees.
After the dust settled, over 20 people lost their lives, and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. The freeway barely opened yesterday, and many Montecito residents are still unable to return home due to debris on the streets.
Living in such a serene place, it’s easy to forget about how quickly disaster can strike and turn an entire community upside down. Although my house is on the opposite side of town, I know many people that lost their homes or family members, and it’s been such an eye-opening experience for me. The amount of collaboration and community support has been the one bright spot in all of this. Signs thanking the firefighters line the streets, and volunteers are doing everything they can to help evacuated people.
Make sure to appreciate everything you have and the important people in your life because you never know what surprises Mother Nature will bring. These disasters have been absolutely terrible, and I can only hope that the remaining clean-up efforts go as quickly as possible.[/cs_text][x_image type=”none” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2931706_1280x720.jpg” alt=”” link=”false” href=”#” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][/cs_column][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/5″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h5″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”false” class=”cs-ta-center” style=”color: hsl(0, 95%, 18%);”]About the Author[/x_custom_headline][x_image type=”circle” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/IMG_1336-copy-1.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/nathan/” title=”” target=”blank” info=”popover” info_place=”bottom” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=”Bethany Biomedical Engineering ’19”][cs_text class=”cs-ta-center”]Nathan is a sophomore studying ME. He loves the beach, hiking, and football games. Click the picture above to learn more![/cs_text][cs_icon_list][cs_icon_list_item title=”@nate.alva” type=”instagram” link_enabled=”true” link_url=”#” link_title=”@nathan” link_new_tab=”true” style=”font-size:18px;”]@nate.alva[/cs_icon_list_item][/cs_icon_list][x_gap size=”100px”][x_custom_headline level=”h5″ looks_like=”h5″ accent=”true” class=”cs-ta-center” style=”color: hsl(0, 95%, 18%);”]Check it Out[/x_custom_headline][x_image type=”thumbnail” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Screen-Shot-2017-09-17-at-11.37.34-PM.png” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/study/biomedical-engineering/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_button size=”mini” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/study/aerospace-and-mechanical-engineering/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]Mechanical Engineering[/x_button][x_gap size=”30px”][x_image type=”thumbnail” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/los-angeles_1.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/free-time/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_button size=”mini” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/free-time/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]LA Life[/x_button][x_gap size=”30px”][x_image type=”thumbnail” src=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/USC-campus-Hahn-plaza.jpg” alt=”” link=”true” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/orgs/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””][x_button size=”mini” block=”true” circle=”false” icon_only=”false” href=”https://viterbivoices.usc.edu/orgs/” title=”” target=”” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” info_content=””]USC Campus Faves[/x_button][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”false” marginless_columns=”false” class=”cs-ta-left” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column bg_color=”hsla(0, 27%, 74%, 0.03)” fade=”true” fade_animation=”in-from-bottom” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_custom_headline level=”h2″ looks_like=”h3″ accent=”true” class=”cs-ta-center” style=”color: hsl(0, 96%, 23%);”]More From Viterbi Students[/x_custom_headline][/cs_column][/cs_row][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”2″ offset=”” category=”” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”true” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”2″ offset=”2″ category=”” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”true” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][x_recent_posts type=”post” count=”2″ offset=”4″ category=”” orientation=”horizontal” no_sticky=”true” no_image=”false” fade=”true”][/cs_column][/cs_row][/cs_section][/cs_content]
