MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) — 10 a.m.
Officials say they hope to have an estimate sometime Monday about when a key coastal highway will reopen in Southern California where mudslides have devastated the town of Montecito.
U.S. 101 has been closed for nearly a week since debris flows choked all lanes with mud, boulders, toppled trees and crushed cars.
Jim Shivers, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation, says much of the water has receded, allowing crews working around the clock to focus on removing solid material from the roadway.
Amtrak has added additional cars to its route between Santa Barbara and points east as commuters increasingly rely on rail service to get around the freeway closure.
___
9:30 a.m.
Once homeowners in the coastal California community of Montecito are ready to rebuild from deadly mudflows, few will do it with the help of flood insurance.
There are about 3,200 households in the wealthy town up the Pacific coast from Los Angeles. More than 500 homes were damaged or destroyed and at least 20 people killed when hills above town gave way amid a downpour last Tuesday, sending torrents of liquid mud and debris hurtling toward the ocean.
According to Edith Lohmann, an insurance specialist with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, just 58 buildings in Montecito's two zip codes have coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program.
Though the number of Montecito homes insured outside the government program was unavailable, it is the dominant source of flood coverage nationally.
___
9:20 a.m.
The White House says President Donald Trump has been briefed on the mudslides that devastated Montecito, California, killing at least 20 people.
A statement Monday says the president will monitor the situation as cleanup and recovery moves forward nearly a week after flash floods ripped through the coastal community.
Four people are still missing. The U.S. 101 freeway and many other roads are closed indefinitely. Sixty-five homes were destroyed and hundreds more were damaged.
The White House statement says the president and first lady extend their deepest sympathies to the families affected, their appreciation for the first responders saving lives, and their prayers for those who are missing.