Historic Fires… Now THIS? 13 Dead As Disaster Continues To Strike California

According to Daily Mail, 13 are dead and many others are injured after significant rains caused DEVASTATING mud slides in Southern California.

At least 13 people are dead and 25 injured in Southern California after pouring rain triggered mudslides that swept homes from their foundations and blocked roads, forcing rescue crews to use helicopters to pluck people from rooftops.

Multiple bodies were found in mud and debris during the rescue operations on Tuesday in Montecito, 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The devastating debris flows came months after a massive wildfire ravaged the area, stripping vegetation and making mudslides practically inevitable in heavy rains. But officials estimate that just 10 to 15 per cent of residents ordered to evacuate heeded the warning ahead of a dangerous storm Monday night.

And while this story has a happy ending, it puts into perspective how terrifying this all is…

On Tuesday morning, firefighters helped multiple residents escape the area, including a 14-year-old girl who was trapped for hours inside of a destroyed home but walked away mostly unscathed.

The teen was discovered when firefighters using dogs in the search heard a scream. Rescue crews worked for six hours using the jaws of life and other tools to free her from the mangled wreckage.

‘I thought I was dead there for a minute,’ the rescued teen, later identified as Lauren Cantin, told rescuers, according to NBC News.

After she was finally freed, Cantin was able to stand and walk with some assistance and was brought to a local hospital.

Many others were not so lucky…

The first confirmed death was Roy Rohter, a former real estate broker who founded St. Augustine Academy in Ventura. The Catholic school’s headmaster, Michael Van Hecke, announced the death and said Rohter’s wife was injured by the mudslide.

Twelve others have been confirmed dead.

And countless others have been affected…

Officials in Santa Barbara County warned of ‘highly dangerous road conditions’ on Tuesday morning as wrong-way drivers were spotted on key coastal highway US 101 attempting to flee the evacuation zones.

‘Hazardous situation. Vehicles are driving the wrong way on the Highway 101. Highly dangerous road conditions. Emergency service personnel are working quickly to clear roads,’ officials said in a flash bulletin. ‘Please stay off the roads. Stay home and be safe.’

Aerial footage from ABC showed a massive mudslide covering part of the 101.

Helicopters were being used even during the downpours because roads were blocked, Santa Barbara County spokeswoman Amber Anderson said.

‘The primary issue right now is access. We’ve got trees and power lines down,’ she said.

Thousands were without power. Evacuation orders were issued Monday over fears of mudslides in those foothill neighborhoods where the state’s largest-ever fire raged last month.

Unbelievable. This the 101 North in Montecito/Summerland. Completely blocked with mud. #CAStorm 📹: Joyce Dudley-Santa Barbara County DA pic.twitter.com/49BubOFvkp

— Joe Buttitta (@KEYTNC3Joe) January 9, 2018

Chaos swept across California’s Santa Barbara County after a powerful overnight storm hammered the region with heavy rains, leading to the deaths of at least eight people, authorities said.

Read more: https://t.co/Qu7vQcNvuH pic.twitter.com/5OYFZ7On0B

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 9, 2018

Photos show 101 Freeway in Montecito, Calif. flooded with water and debris after heavy rains – (via Santa Barbara County Fire) https://t.co/Qu7vQcNvuH pic.twitter.com/yEkD7oQ1MX

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 9, 2018

Highway 101 at Olive in Montecito – Santa Barbara today after mudslides..not a river……the highway running north-south on west side of state. pic.twitter.com/fsarzQTC1P

— MillionsHateTrump (@NancyTexass) January 10, 2018

Just took this driving through Santa Barbara right now. The devastation is unreal – hard to understand the scale of it unless you see it in person. pic.twitter.com/mzGonvaSqN

— Cory Watilo (@watilo) January 10, 2018

I have beautiful memories of times spent in Santa Barbara with my boyfriend… and am praying for the area’s residents…

AND BEFORE YOU COMMENT…

A quick way to completely lose my respect is by spewing out some nonsense about how Californians “deserve it” because they are all a bunch of dirty liberals and you hate them.

Don’t be that guy.

I travel to California often. I’ve met MANY lovely people there…. and even those who are NOT lovely… no one deserves this. ESPECIALLY not because they have a different opinion than you.

We conservatives claim to treasure life.. so don’t make yourself look like an idiot by saying you’re ok with horrific tragedy striking a liberal state. It’s incredibly unbecoming, and it’s not the kind of conservative I want to be, or associate with. Ok? Ok…

And yes, I have to do this because EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I post something like this, someone decides to go on some stupid rant about how people deserve to die. So here’s your warning. Don’t embarrass yourself.