Mudslide stricken California town is all but emptied out
Most residents of mudslide-ravaged Montecito were under orders to clear out Friday as the search for victims dragged on and crews laboured to clean up the muck and repair power, water and gas lines. Even those who didn’t lose their homes in the disaster that left at least 17 people dead were told to leave for up to two weeks so they wouldn’t interfere with the rescue and recovery operation in the Southern California town of 9,000.
It was another frustrating turn for those living in Montecito, a town that has been under siege and subject to repeated evacuation orders in recent weeks, first because of a monster wildfire last month, then because of downpours and mudslides.
Cia Monroe said her family of four was lucky their home wasn’t ruined and they were all healthy and safe, though her daughter lost one of her best friends.
But Monroe said it was stressful after evacuating three times during the wildfire to be packing up a fourth time and looking at spending up to $3,000 a week for a hotel.
“Financially that’s a burden,’’ she said.
A fleet of large trucks and heavy equipment rolled into town Thursday, and the forces on the ground swelled to more than 1,200 workers.
Five people remained missing Friday.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said residents who had stayed behind or tried to check on damage in neighbourhoods where homes were levelled and car-size boulders and trees blocked roads and littered properties were hindering the recovery effort.