Gwendolyn Wu
Editor-in-Chief
As public safety officers work to clean up debris following the Montecito mudslides, which killed 20 and left many more homeless, many UCSB students and faculty have been stranded south of the Highway 101 closure.
In an email Monday afternoon, Chancellor Henry T. Yang announced that “funds will be made available to reimburse the cost of daily commutes by train or ferry rides or short-term accommodations until the highway is reopened.” Financing will come from a private fund.
Students in need can contact the Dean of Student Life, Katya Armistead, at katya.armistead@sa.ucsb.edu. Faculty can contact the Acting Assistant Chancellor, Chuck Haines, at chuck.haines@ucsb.edu. Staff can reach the Director of Human Resources, Cynthia Señeriz, at cynthia.seneriz@hr.ucsb.edu.
The Highway 101 closure has left four options for students returning back to school from down south. A ferry is taking passengers between Ventura and the Santa Barbara Harbor, starting at $32. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner has added additional cars, starting at Union Station in Los Angeles, to accommodate for trains packed with over 1,000 passengers. Students can also fly in to Santa Barbara Airport. Drivers can take round-about way up Interstate 5, onto Highway 166, and down Highway 101 from Santa Maria.
Caltrans estimates that Highway 101, currently closed between Santa Barbara and Highway 150, will reopen next Monday.