This article was underwritten in part by the Mickey Flacks Journalism Fund for Social Justice, a proud, innovative supporter of local news. To make a contribution go to sbcan.org/journalism_fund.
UC Santa Barbara’s fall quarter starts this week, and the cliff homes on Isla Vista’s most famous street are full again. On Del Playa Drive, students catch up with friends, lounging together on balconies or in yards. Cars are parked two or three deep in driveways, and cardboard boxes are stacked high beside dumpsters.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles south, a deep, massive pool of warm water has formed in the tropical Pacific, triggering the phenomenon commonly called El Niño. El Niño years increase the chance of heavy rainfall in Southern California — the kind of rain that could cause massive chunks of Isla Vista’s already eroding cliff to fall to the waves below, taking balconies, patios, or whatever else is above along with it. This year, scientists are predicting one of the strongest El Niños ever…