California mudslides buried the street! Flooding and rockslide causing major damage

The latest Pacific storm unleashed torrential downpours and damaging winds in California, turning city streets into rivers as mudslides cut off highways. More than 20 million people across California are under flood alerts as the risk of mudslides also spreads to the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.

Officials issued immediate evacuation orders for the entire community of Montecito, as well as for parts of Santa Barbara and other nearby towns, because of heightened flood and mudslide hazards.

The Montecito evacuation zone was among 17 California regions where authorities worry the ongoing torrential downpours could unleash lethal cascades of mud, boulders and other debris in the hillsides.

In the Rancho Oso area of the Santa Ynez Mountains, mud and debris across the roadway isolated about 400 people. Some areas saw mudslides close roads and cover cars. The neighbourhood saw a flow of debris estimated to be 1.5 metres tall.

In Ventura County, north of Los Angeles, mudslides trapped a big rig and other vehicles on State Route 126. The local media reported the rain washed 3 feet of mud and rock across the road.

In addition, a Northern California highway was closed after a large rockslide made travel impossible. An estimated 220,000 California homes were without electricity on Tuesday morning.

The National Weather Service said Tuesday’s storm will quickly move east towards the central Plains region of the United States by Wednesday. However, it warned of new systems ready to hit California in the coming days.

The channel lists such natural disasters as:
1) Geological emergencies: Earthquake, Volcanic eruption, Mud, Landslide, Avalanche;
2) Hydrological emergencies: Flood, Tsunami, Limnological disaster,
3) Fires: Forest fire, Peat fire;
4) Meteorological emergencies: Tornado, Cyclone, Blizzard, Hail, Drought, Tornado, Hail, Hurricane, Tsunami, Storm, Thunderstorm, Tempest.