At least two dead in Southern California flooding, mudslides

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - At least two people died and thousands fled their homes in Southern California on Tuesday as a powerful rainstorm triggered flash floods and mudslides on slopes where a series of intense wildfires had burned off protective vegetation last month.

The heavy downpours subsided early Tuesday after prompting evacuation orders for residents along the Pacific Coast north of Los Angeles, but forecasters warned of more rain throughout the day. Rainfall totals ranged from 2 inches (5 cm) to 4.5 inches (11 cm) in the area, said the National Weather Service.

At least two deaths were blamed on the storm and mudslides in Santa Barbara County, the hardest-hit county in the area, County Supervisor Janet Wolf said in a telephone interview. She did not specify the cause of the deaths.

The threat of mudslides prompted the county to order 7,000 residents to leave their homes before the rains came and to urge 23,000 others to evacuate voluntarily.

Photos posted by the local fire department showed a teenager covered in black mud being led away from the rubble of a house that was destroyed by the mudslide in Montecito. She had been trapped in the home for hours before rescuers came to her aid, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department said on Twitter.

Other pictures showed ankle-deep mud, logs, boulders and other debris in residential areas.

Last month’s wildfires, including the largest in the state’s history, left the area vulnerable to mudslides. The fires burned away grass and shrubs that hold the soil in place, and also baked a waxy layer into the earth that prevents water from sinking deeply into the ground.

The overnight rains forced road closures, including sections of Highway 101, essentially cutting off vehicular traffic between Santa Barbara and Ventura counties northwest of Los Angeles. But Ventura County escaped with little damage, the sheriff’s office said.

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning declared a local emergency and asked the state to also make an emergency declaration.