Ellen DeGeneres shares video of Montecito mudslides, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s home in danger
MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA: The severe winter storms that have slammed the US has left the authorities in California extremely concerned for those living in the surrounding areas. And now, presenter Ellen DeGeneres used Twitter to highlight how dire the situation was in Montecito, where over 10,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate including a number of celebrities like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Ellen provided a video of the current deplorable circumstances where the host of 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' is seen in a grey sweater hoody as she said: "So, Montecito is under complete evacuation. The entire town. This is the five-year anniversary from the fire and mudslides that killed so many people and, er, people lost their homes and lives."
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"This is crazy that on the five year anniversary we are having unprecedented rain. This creek next to our house never flows ever." She continued to urge people to be "nicer to Mother Nature", saying: "Mother Nature is not happy with us. Stay safe everybody," as reported by Mirror.
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
Over 100 homes were demolished and 23 people lost their lives in the disaster Ellen was referring to. After receiving more than eight inches of rain in only 12 hours, and with reports that much more is on the way, the Montecito Fire Department ordered all nearby residents to "Leave Now" on Monday, January 9. The order reportedly has an impact on almost 10,000 people. Trees have fallen onto roads due to the weather, making any attempted evacuations challenging.
The prospect of mudslides near their home forced a number of celebrities, including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, to evacuate as well. In addition, Oprah Winfrey, Adam Levine, and George Lucas were among the well-known figures that were impacted.
A mandatory evacuation is also required for residents of Toro Canyon, Padaro Lane in Carpinteria, and Sycamore Canyon in Santa Barbara. At least 12 individuals perished in inclement weather in California in just 10 days, prompting the evacuation. The state has been ravaged by a string of severe storms that brought on hazardous winds, mudslides, and downpours. As another atmospheric river hits the state, the majority of Californians are under a flood watch warning for the next two days. Devastating flooding occurred over the previous week as a result of two overlapping weather phenomena: an atmospheric river, often known as the Pineapple Express, and a bomb cyclone, The US Sun reported.
The storm generated wind gusts of around 100 mph, cut off electricity to hundreds of people, and made travel impossible. Governor Gavin Newsom warned Californians that they should "expect to see the worst of it still in front of us" after a flurry of storms in late December. Since late December, at least 12 locals have perished as a result of "storm-related impacts," according to Governor Newsom's office. “Floods kill more individuals than any other natural disaster,” California Emergency Services Director Nancy Ward said on Sunday, January 8. “We’ve already had more deaths in this flood storm since December 31 than we had in the last two fire seasons of the highest fire acreage burned in California.”
It is anticipated that the storms will last into the middle of the week. “The longevity and intensity of rain, combined with the cumulative effect of successive heavy rain events dating back to the end of December, will lead to widespread and potentially significant flood impacts,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said. Late on Sunday night, January 8, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation of national emergency, claiming "emergency conditions resulting from successive and severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides."