Volunteers Help Dig Montecito Out From Under the Mud.

Bucket Brigade Chief Abe Powell says he started organizing volunteers after his neighbor told him the insurance company wouldn't assess damages until the mud was cleared out.

"There house was at least knee deep in mud - the whole house," Powell said his friend's insurance company said the mud was getting in the way of assessment. 

"So if you dig it out yourself, then we can come and see your floors and your walls and decide if your homes been damaged. So you're on your own until you get the mud out of here."

Powell says the story deeply upset him. "What are we going to do? I'm not a lawyer, I'm not going to sue anybody, but I've got a shovel and we said 'let's go dig them out.'"

"...and to tell a family that they're on their own with hundreds of cubic yards of wet mud and rock is unconscionable. It's totally unfair and we heard that story and it really upset us." 

Powell started the Bucket Brigade by tapping out his credit cards to pay for shovels and heavy earth moving equipment. Powell says the group is organizing a big cleanup Saturday and he says he's looking for volunteers. He's currently built a roster of 2800 volunteers, but he needs more for the massive clearing event.