Celebrities tell of carnage as 15 die in California mudslides
AT LEAST 15 people were confirmed dead yesterday as mudslides turned part of California into a “World War One battlefield”.
Former US tennis star Jimmy Connors was rescued from his home by helicopter and chat show queen Oprah Winfrey prayed for her neighbours in Montecito.
More than 160 people were taken to hospital, 24 are still missing and hundreds were stranded in the celebrity belt north-west of Los Angeles.
Among dramatic rescue stories which emerged were of a baby dug from the sludge and a 14-year-old girl helped from her collapsed home.
The disaster was caused by heavy rain falling on land parched by last month’s Californian wildfires.
Santa Barbara sheriff Bill Brown, one of the rescue leaders, said: “It looked a World War One battlefield.
“It was literally a carpet of mud and debris everywhere with huge boulders, rocks, downed trees, power lines, wrecked cars, lots of obstacles.”
Devastation
Connors, 65, who won Wimbledon twice plus 10 other grand slam titles, tweeted: “Montecito – fires burn – rain comes – mud slides and devastation – evacuated today by helicopter.”
Oprah posted pictures of the mud in her back garden and a video of a helicopter rescuing her neighbours.
Other celebrities to witness the devastation included actor Rob Lowe and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who have properties in the town.
DeGeneres posted an image of the devastation, adding: “This is not a river. This is the 101 freeway in my neighbourhood right now.”
About 300 people were stranded in a canyon near Santa Barbara and 50 others were rescued. Thirty miles of the coastal road was closed.
Resident Berkley Johnson and his wife Karen helped firefighters rescue a baby from under four feet of debris after hearing it crying as they fled their home in Montecito.
He said: “We got it out and got the mud out of its mouth. I’m hoping it is OK. They took it away to the hospital.”
Lauren Cantin, 14, who was rescued in a six-hour operation by firefighters after rescue dogs heard her cries for help, said later: “I thought I was dead there for a minute.” A woman is saved from a flattened home