California's Richest Town That's Home To Prince Harry, Oprah Winfrey Ordered To Be Evacuated
The Southern California coastal town of Montecito — a seaside haven for celebrities and billionaires — is under an evacuation order after the latest torrential downpour that’s drenched the state.
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Town is home to celebrities, billionaires
The town is home to the likes of Britain’s Prince Harry, wife Meghan Markle, popular talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and ace actress Jennifer Aniston.
Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/7dv5wfNSzG
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) January 9, 2023
Montecito, a town of about 9,000 people and 90 minutes from Los Angeles, was expected to get up to 20cm (eight inches) of rain in 24 hours – on hillsides already sodden by weeks of downpours.
The evacuation orders affect Montecito and parts of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and Summerland, the Montecito Fire Protection District posted on Twitter. The order in Montecito came as California was being lashed by the latest parade of storms that have already killed 12 people.
Residents warned to “leave now”
With firefighters warning mudslides could engulf homes, they warned that everyone in the area should get out.
“Leave Now! This is a rapidly evolving situation. Please pay close attention to emergency alerts,” a fire department website said.
Immediate Evacuation Order for all of Montecito, parts of Carpinteria, Summerland & City of Santa Barbara. LEAVE NOW!
Details: https://t.co/dos5R4hv80 pic.twitter.com/Y0FuEPqoX8— Montecito Fire (@montecitofire) January 9, 2023
Most of Santa Barbara County’s residents are currently under a shelter-in-place order, but Montecito residents face the highest stakes as they leave their homes. The area has reached maximum capacity for floodwater containment, officials said.
Police roadblocks were set up to prevent people from getting into the town, where several roads were flooded.
Evacuation Order has been issued for all of Montecito, Toro Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, and Padaro Ln. Leave now. An Evacuation Center is open at the Wake Center, 300 N. Turnpike Rd, Santa Barbara.
— SBCountyOEM (@SBCountyOEM) January 9, 2023
Downpours in drought
While heavy rain is not unusual for California during the winter, these downpours are testing the state.
They come as much of the western US is more than two decades into a punishing drought that has seen a big increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
“Over the last 30 days, Montecito has received 12-20 inches of rain across the community, exceeding our yearly average of 17 inches,” Montecito Fire said on Twitter.
“This cumulative, saturating rain puts the community at greater risk of flooding and debris flow.”
Montecito creek is raging but holding on. Video from @JohnPalminteri #storm pic.twitter.com/V4Ny1jgJ25
Click Here: cheap adidas originals shoes— Alys Martinez (@AlysMartinezTV) January 9, 2023
This comes as storms last week around San Francisco left tens of thousands of people without power as they caused flooding. The National Weather Service also issued a flood watch for Santa Barbara County, including high surf and winds.
Montecito vulnerable to mudslides
Montecito, whose multimillion-dollar properties are perched in breathtaking California countryside, is particularly vulnerable to mudslides because it sits at the foot of a mountain range that was ravaged by fire five years ago.
Hundreds of square kilometres of land were scorched in 2017 and 2018, denuding the hillsides of the vegetation that keeps typically soil in place.
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