About 25 million people in California are under a flood warning this weekend as the latest in a spate of deadly storms drenches the state.
Several waterways have been inundated, at least 19 people have died, and thousands more have been advised to escape.
According to residents in Montecito, a town 84 miles (135 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, the rain exacerbates their pain.
A mudslide killed 23 people here in 2018, and many fear it may happen again.
Rita Bourbon credits her life to the work of Italian stone masons. Her house, which she characterizes as a fortress, was built by a craftsman more than a century ago.
She made it through the storm five years ago, crying inside with her kid and many friends as boulders and other houses ripped from their foundations crashed onto her.
The area along the coast from Los Angeles was ravaged the next day, and over two dozen people were killed, including her neighbor, who she discovered in the mud in her garden.
Montecito Creek became furious this week, prompting fire officials to issue a “Leave Now!” warning to the whole community, including some of California’s most famous residents, including Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle.
Although the evacuation order in Montecito has been lifted, residents remain concerned. With so much of the earth already saturated, flooding and landslides are a real threat.
Abe Powell is one of the co-founders of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, which was formed in 2018 to coordinate volunteers to assist in the cleanup following the devastating mudslide.
Powell led volunteers across town this week, filling sandbags and digging trenches. He took us up a steep mountain road where huge stones and muck made entry to some residences difficult.
Steve McGlothen, a film producer, is one of the volunteers. He’s been in the neighborhood for 50 years and has lived on the cliffs for 27.
He added that assisting others distracts him from his farm’s problems and anguish as the rain continues to fall. Plastic sheets cover the slope, which fell away for the first time this week to keep the recent rain from aggravating the slide.
California Governor Gavin Newsom joined volunteers in Santa Barbara to fill sandbags. He claims the place will be a “hot point” for the next few days.
Californians are used to extreme weather, such as wildfires, drought, and earthquakes, and many are bracing for the “Big One” prophesied by many experts. The “storm parade” hammering California, on the other hand, is unparalleled.
At least 19 individuals have perished due to the storms that began in late December. Furthermore, a five-year-old boy is still missing after being kidnapped from his mother’s clutches in fast-moving flood water on his way to school in central California.
Northern California vineyards have been inundated. Capitola’s historic port has been wrecked, and the beach town has been destroyed. Furthermore, the river is endangering California’s prized agricultural heartland by rising through the renowned Salinas Valley.
US President Joe Biden has now dispatched government aid to Sacramento, Merced, and Santa Cruz counties.
According to Nasa climate scientist Kimberley Rain Miner, the problem with having so many large storms so close together is that the earth is already saturated and cannot absorb the rainfall pouring so quickly.
Everyone in California is watching their phones, waiting to hear if they need to evacuate and wondering where they can go if they do.
Why is Montecito in California so vulnerable to mudslides?
The upscale hamlet of Montecito, California, was ordered to evacuate on Monday due to mudslides.
The coastal town is home to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, and other celebrities.
Another storm hit the town five years ago today, triggering severe mudslides, killing 23 people and destroying over 100 homes.
Sixteen people have died due to the storm ravaging southern California.
In the last 24 hours, the US National Weather Service (NWS) reported that up to 14in (35.5cm) of rain fell in Santa Barbara, Montecito’s region.
According to experts, Montecito’s location between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains contributes to the affluent town’s vulnerability to natural disasters such as floods and mudslides.
Larry Gurrola, an engineering geologist based near Santa Barbara, spoke with the BBC.
According to him, the place is dangerous because of the steep topography of the mountains to the east and the two types of rock that make up the mountain.
The Santa Ynez Mountains are built of erodible shale and sandstone and climb 4,864 feet (1482 meters) above sea level.
Mr. Gurrola claims that a “rapid increase in height causes greater precipitation at a higher elevation.” And all of it falls on the town.
Weather is another factor that might contribute to mudslides. California has been suffering from a drought for some years, leaving the landscape barren and arid.
Similarly, when wildfires rage in the area, they can kill vegetation that would ordinarily absorb part of the heavy rain.
According to Mr. Gurrola, post-fire conditions can significantly increase “runoff velocity,” which is the rate at which debris and precipitation flow down a mountain’s slope.
Read Also: Expert warns California residents of megaflood
After a fire, debris may flow 50 times faster than before.
