Mudslide devastation in California (post-fires)

Gordon_R

Gordon_R

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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42624408

At least 13 people are dead amid "waist-deep" mudslides in Southern California, where heavy rains triggered flooding, say officials.

Some 163 people have been taken to hospital. Twenty had "storm-related injuries" and four were critically hurt.

A group of up to 300 people are reportedly trapped in Romero Canyon, east of Santa Barbara.

Police said the scene "looked like a World War One battlefield".

The flooding and mudslides, affecting areas scorched by wildfires last month, have shut down more than 30 miles (48km) of the main coastal road.

Emergency services said a number of people were unaccounted for and they expected the number of deaths to rise.

Thousands fled the deluge and more than 50 rescues have been performed.

The hardest-hit homes were those that were not in the evacuation zone, officials say.

Heavy rain run-off caused a mudflow in the community of Montecito, where some homes were knocked off their foundations, said Santa Barbara County Fire Department spokesman Mike Eliason.

Boulders the size of small cars were rolling down hillsides and blocking roads, reports BBC News Los Angeles correspondent James Cook.
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Several roads are closed, including the major Highway 101.

Wildfires in December, including the Thomas Fire, swept through the area burning vegetation that helps prevent flooding and landslides.

After a wildfire, burned vegetation and charred soil create a water repellent layer which blocks water absorption and leads to an increased risk of mudslides and floods.

"Recent burn areas will be especially vulnerable where dangerous mud and debris flows are possible," said the National Weather Service in a statement.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency shared a warning for California homeowners explaining that homes that had never flooded before were now at risk.

This comes after a record-setting year of $306bn of weather and climate-related disaster costs in the United States, the third warmest year on record, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The storm over California is expected to produce [100 to 180 mm] in the foothills and [230mm] in select areas.
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P.S. I couldn't find the forum thread about the fires?
 
Didn't take long for the thread to be derailed!? I hope someone read the original article...

Edit: This is the News & Current Affairs forum.
 
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California mudslides death toll rises with 17 still missing

Hundreds of rescuers are combing wreckage in Southern California for those missing after mudslides that have killed 17.

Another 28 injuries have been reported in Santa Barbara County following the deluge that overwhelmed an area scorched by wildfires last month.

More than 100 homes were destroyed, and another 300 have been damaged.

One rescue worker tearfully described plucking a "muddy doll" of a toddler from under several feet of debris.

Berkeley Johnson said the two-year-old girl was taken to hospital and suffered an injury to her hip.

"I don't know how the baby survived," Mr Berkeley told the Santa Barbara Independent newspaper.
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More at : http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42638111
 
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