Posted By Peter Johnson on Wed, Jan 27, 2021 at 4:18 PM Santa Maria officials say the city’s topography makes it ripe for flooding under the right conditions and is encouraging residents to be ready for such a scenario in advance. click to enlarge FILE PHOTO COURTESY OF SANTA BARBARA COUNTY FIRE FLAT LANDSCAPE Santa Maria officials say the city’s flat topography makes it susceptible to flooding, especially under the heavy rain conditions the region is currently experiencing. As of Jan. 27, the National Weather Service was predicting heavy rains in Santa Maria through Thursday and issued a wind advisory in Santa Barbara County until Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. It predicted winds as strong as 30 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 45 mil