At least eight people were killed in Southern California on Tuesday after mudslides triggered by heavy storms hurled mud and debris down hillsides and into homes.
The death toll could rise as rescue crews continued to search the hilly, coastal community of Montecito for those who were still missing, said Santa Barbara County Fire Public Information Officer Mike Eliason. At least 25 people were also injured.
A beloved religious leader was among those who died after mud swept into his home in Montecito. Roy Rohter founded the St. Augustine Academy, a Catholic school in neighboring Ventura County, and was remembered as a “mentor and inspiration” for “thousands” of people. His wife, Theresa, was injured but is in stable condition, according to Thomas Aquinas College.
“He lived like no one else and left an incredible legacy of love and generosity that I am a part of,” his grandson, Pete Amrein, said on Facebook.
Several homes have been swept from their foundations, and several people are unaccounted for in neighborhoods near foothills that were recently scarred by Thomas Fire, the state’s largest wildfire that started in early December and torched more than 281,000 acres. The fire is still not fully contained.
Heavy rain sent mud and debris pouring into neighborhoods around 2 a.m. Tuesday as most residents were still sleeping, said Amber Anderson, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara Fire Department.
California’s National Guard “has been here all day assisting and working with crews,” she added.
From around 2:30 a.m. to 4 a.m., first responders and search-and-rescue crews started going door-to-door, urging residents to leave their homes and looking for people who were reported missing or trapped. Aided by helicopters, firefighters performed 50 rescues, some of which required the Jaws of Life to cut into mud-entrenched homes and cars to extract people who were trapped inside.
In one rescue, firefighters rescued a 14-year-old girl who was trapped for hours inside a home.
Tens of thousands of people were ordered or urged to evacuate on Monday, but the bulk of residents were not under a mandatory orders because they lived in areas that were not destroyed by wildfires. About 7,000 people were ordered to evacuate, Anderson said, while 23,000 people were in a warning zone.
Officials said they had been preparing for impending storms to wreak havoc and cause more devastation in communities tucked into charred canyons and hillsides that now lack the ability to absorb heavy rain.
“When the fire started, from Day One, we were already planning for mudslides because of its force and size,” Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Scott Quirarte told BuzzFeed News. “The earth’s ability here to absorb water has been completely wiped out and because this fire was so widespread, our big concern is that this is not kept to one specific area, but thousands and thousands of miles and people are involved.”
Last month, fast-moving wildfires devastated a large swath of land that was already unusually dry due to drought conditions, making mudslides and floods almost inevitable once the region’s wet season began.
“This is part of the cycle,” he said. “And mudslides and rains and such will be a major concern for us and for these homes for a few more years until the land heals.”
The flooding and mudslides prompted the closure of multiple highways across Southern California. Authorities said crews were working to clear a 30-mile stretch of US Highway 101 that was blocked by mud and debris.
The US Coast Guard is supplying airships to assist in rescue operations, but Santa Barbara County officials said those rescue operations will cease if drones are sighted in the area. Authorities said there is currently a backlog of 75 calls for rescues and evacuations in the area.
The National Weather Service said Tuesday that the steady rain had ended across much of the area, but showers and thunderstorms would continue into the evening.
Mandatory evacuation orders remain in effect for the Thomas, Sherpa, and Whittier fire evacuation areas. Voluntary evacuation warnings are in effect for the Tepusquet Canyon and Alamo fire area.
