5 People Dead, Several Homes Destroyed Due To Massive Mudslide In California
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SANTA BARBARA COUNTY (CBSMiami) -- Powerful winter storms are battering Southern California.
At least five people have been killed and several homes have been lost in a massive mudslide in fire-burned areas.
Firefighters rescued a 14-year old girl who was trapped in a Montecito home that slid off its foundation Tuesday morning.
Officials say she was buried under massive mounds of debris for hours.
Search dogs are being used to look for more victims on the ground.
From the air, the U.S. Coast Guard and Ventura County emergency crews pulled residents to safety.
An avalanche of debris shut down 30-miles of Highway 101 near Carpinteria.
"The mudslide surrounded my car as I was driving 60 mph and it pushed my car left to the side of the road," said commuter Eric Horwitz.
With the muddy mess, the winter storm flooded creeks and roadways from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles counties, trapping cars and people.
Thousands of people were forced to evacuate again after surviving several recent wildfires.
People whose homes survived the Thomas fire are now faced with this: impassable roads and homes and driveways filled with mud.
"I just thought I just can't do it again," said Carpinteria resident Andrea Risdon. "I didn't know it was going to be this bad."
Neighbors say the furious storm and mudflow shook their homes as boulders crashed down hillsides.
"It sounded like a freight train coming by the house," said Carpinteria resident John Livergood.
Officials are blaming a transformer explosion in Montecito on the weather, causing several homes to catch fire.
The national weather service is predicting more heavy rain, flash flooding, and mudflow in the fire burned areas.
