Crews clear roads after mudslides

Crews working LOS ANGELES — around the clock cleared boulders, trees and crushed cars from all lanes of U.S. 101, but California officials still weren’t sure Monday when the key coastal highway might reopen after being inundated during mudslides that killed 20 people.

Much of the water on the roadway near the devastated town of Montecito had receded by Sunday, allowing workers to use bulldozers and other heavy equipment to push away solid debris that was still several feet deep.

“It is not until you can see the damage with your own eyes that you can come to understand the magnitude of the incident, the response that is necessary, but most importantly the impact to the citizens and families of Santa Barbara County,” said Jim Shivers, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation.

Four people remained missing after the mudslides were triggered Jan. 9 by a powerful storm that swept in from the Pacific and dumped a deluge on mountain slopes that had been burned bare by a huge wildfire in December.

Search and rescue operations ended over the weekend, and authorities transitioned to recovery. The move allows officials to release resources that were no longer needed and slow the search to a safer pace, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

At least 65 homes were destroyed and more than 460 others were damaged.