At least 13 people died on Tuesday in Southern California after the heaviest rainstorm in nearly a year triggered floods and mudslides, inundating wealthy localities and blocking major roads. The disaster struck the same region that was affected by intense wildfires in December 2017.
Authorities asked thousands of residents in Santa Barbara County to evacuate. County officials also set up an evacuation shelter at Santa Barbara City College. However, Amber Anderson, a spokesperson for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said only 10% to 15% of those who were asked to evacuate complied with the orders.
Sheriff Bill Brown said the scenes “looked like a World War I battlefield”. The mudslides toppled trees, destroyed cars and covered neighbourhoods with thick layers of mud. They also blocked a major highway along the Pacific Coast.
“While we hope it will not, we expect this number [of deaths] to increase as we continue to look for people who are missing and unaccounted for,” Brown told Reuters.
The disaster destroyed several houses and affected power lines, AP reported, quoting a county official. The mud was reported to be up to 1.5 meters deep in places.
The mudslides were a direct result of the damage that the wildfires caused to the land, according to The New York Times. Officials said many of the deaths are believed to be in the coastal Montecito area that is home to a number of celebrities, CNN reported.
Emergency workers tried to rescue stranded people using dogs and helicopters. They found a 14-year-old girl alive after hearing cries for help from the rubble of her home in Montecito. Rescue crews, using borrowed helicopters from the United States Coast Guard, also airlifted 300 people stuck in a canyon.
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