21 Most Jaw-Dropping Images From The California Mudslides

By
The Alternative Daily
-

Rescue teams in Southern California are working extra hours to scan through tons of debris from the disastrous and deadly mudslides that have seriously impacted several of the state’s coastal towns.

So far, nearly 17 people are dead and eight people are missing after walls of mud raged downhill. The main areas impacted are between the Pacific ocean and the Los Padres-National Forest.

Along with the fatalities, the mudslides have wiped out almost 100 homes and have injured over 28 people. “We have crews out there,” said Amber Anderson, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. “They’ve been working 24 hours a day.”

The mudslides are a result of last month’s wildfires, which were the largest in California state history. As a result, the dead grass and shrubs that held the soil in place got destroyed and baked a layer into the earth that is now preventing water from sinking deeply into the ground like normal.

Currently, residents are waiting on word for their loved ones, according to Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown.

With rescue operation in full force, here are 21 of the most jaw-dropping images to give you some perspective on what some people are going through:

1. A highway in Montecito covered in mud

2. Homes destroyed in Montecito

3. A bear that got caught in the deadly mudslides

4. Fallen trees that created major problems in the area

5. Roads completely filled with mud

6. A highway completely covered in mud

7. Roads in disarray

8. Boulders in the road creating major problems

9. The damage as seen by NASA

10. A highway covered in mud

11. Oprah showing the destruction in her yard

12. First responders walking in thick mud

13. A destroyed home

14. A car being carried in the mud flow

A post shared by @ultimate_demise on

15. A vehicle stuck in the mud

16. A beach in Santa Barbara

17. First responders at a house

18. Roads turned to swamps

101 north bound in #montecito looks more like a swamp than a freeway. #castorm #mudslide

A post shared by @ t_shaps on

19. A woman being rescued

20. Mud across the landscape in Santa Barbara

The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department issued a closure order on Wednesday for all restaurants, markets, and other food businesses affected by the Boil Water Notice. Tuesday was the heaviest day of the most recent rain storm. Heavy rains saturated an already charred landscape still recovering from recent fires throughout the area. Rescue crews worked overtime to extricate stranded residents and clear roads made impassable by the mudslides. At least 15 people were declared dead and 100 homes destroyed. Authorities are working to reach 300 people still stuck in their homes. Wednesday was declared a “public safety exclusion zone” barring all but emergency crews from the affected areas. Five highways remain closed, including the 101 (a main north-south artery for the area), with parts of highways resembling river beds filled with dirt, debris, boulders, and rocks up a foot deep. Sheriff Bill Brown of Santa Barbara County said “Although we knew it was coming people are really shocked at the extent of the damage and how big the impact was to the area”. #SOSProducts #mudslide#SantaBarbara #Montecito #rainbow #emergencypreparedness #disasterpreparedness #recovery

A post shared by Sos Survival Products Inc (@sosproducts) on

21. First responders looking for missing people

Un perro ayuda a los bomberos a buscar entre los escombros en Montecito. Los aludes de lodo provocados por fuertes lluvias han causado la muerte de al menos 13 personas en el sur de #California. El número de muertos aún podría aumentar, según el sheriff del condado de #SantaBárbara #MudSlide

A post shared by Julio Villanueva (@villanueva0667) on

— PJ Amirata

Recommended Articles