Mudslides threaten Hollywood stars’ homes
HOMES owned by Hollywood stars are under threat from storm damage and mudslides caused by the “Pineapple Express” weather system that is battering California.
George Clooney, Lady Gaga and Halle Berry are among the high-profile figures whose properties on the outskirts of Los Angeles are at risk from the extreme weather. Homes built on the slopes of the Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills and Topanga Canyon have been among the hardest hit by landslides.
Jeb Johenning, from Beverly Hills, reported seeing “an avalanche of mud” coming down a slope near his home.
He said: “I was driving up here on Sunday night, right after the Grammys, and coincidentally, my neighbour, who was in this SUV behind us, was being dropped off at his house, and the driver’s coming down the hill, and the mud is chasing the driver.”
After record rainfall in southern California since Sunday, leaving hundreds of thousands without power, evacuation orders have been in effect in several parts of Los Angeles.
Firefighters rescued 16 people from nine properties in Studio City, where George and Amal Clooney have a home, reported to be worth around £2 million.
Officials reported 120 mudslides and debris flows throughout Los Angeles on at least 25 structures damaged by heavy rainfall or mudslides by Monday evening. A coastal flood warning was issued for Malibu, where Leonardo Dicaprio, Lady Gaga and Berry have homes.
At least three people have been killed by the storm and around 37 million residents, about 94 per cent of the state’s population, are at risk from floods.
One person died on Sunday when a tree fell on a home in Santa Cruz County. Two men were killed when trees fell on them in their gardens in separate incidents, one in Sutter County and the other in Sacramento County.
On Monday, landslides sent mud pouring into the Beverly Hills area s while firefighters had to rescue people staying in homeless encampments in San Bernardino. It is the second heavy storm to hit the state in recent days as part of the “Pineapple Express” weather system, named because it brings warm subtropical moisture across the Pacific from near Hawaii.