“It Looked Like A Battlefield” – Photos Show California Mudslides’ Devastating Aftermath

This report was originally published by Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge

California just can’t catch a break.

After wildfires – including the largest blaze in California history – tore through Southern California last month, causing billions of dollars in property damage, heavy rains triggered mudslides in some of the areas hardest-hit by the fires – including Montecito in Santa Barbara county, where the most deaths were reported.

The storm may be over, but the hunt for survivors isn’t. So far, 13 people have been confirmed dead, while 25 more were injured and another 50 had to be rescued. But those numbers could rise as the search is deepened and expanded Wednesday, with a major search-and-rescue team arriving from nearby Los Angeles County and help from the Coast Guard and National Guard along with law enforcement, according to the Associated Press.

And as the search for victims ramps up, more photos over the devastation wrought by the mudslides are beginning to emerge.

The mudslides took thousands of Californians by surprise.It was unleashed in the dead of night by flash flooding in the steep, fire-scarred Santa Ynez Mountains. As the AP explains, scorched areas are especially susceptible to destructive mudslides because the earth doesn’t absorb water well and the land is easily eroded when there’s no vegetation.

Montecito was burned by the Thomas Fire, which erupted Dec. 4 and became the largest ever recorded in California. It eventually spread to more than 440 square miles (1,140 square kilometers) and destroyed 1,063 buildings and homes. It continues to burn deep in the wilderness.

Some witnesses likened the sound of the mud to a freight train or an earthquake as the torrent arrived suddenly, carrying rocks and trees as it washed away cars and trashed homes.

Video shows rescue workers saving a man whose car was washed away in the mudslides.

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Thomas Tighe said he stepped outside his Montecito home in the middle of the night and heard “a deep rumbling, an ominous sound I knew was … boulders moving as the mud was rising.”

Rescue personnel in Santa Barbara County early on Wednesday morning continued searching for victims where mudslides slammed into homes, covered highways and swept away vehicles early on Tuesday when more than a half-inch (1.5 cm) of rain fell in five minutes, a rate that far exceeds the normal flash flood threshold.

Video and images of the 101 Freeway showed the road completely covered in mud. The road between Montecito and Santa Barbara will remain closed for at least 48 hours, according to Capt. Cindy Pontes of the California Highway Patrol.

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Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told CNN that the mudslides “looked like a World War I battlefield.”

“It was literally a carpet of mud and debris everywhere, with huge boulders, rocks, downed trees, power lines, wrecked cars, lots of obstacles and challenges for rescue personnel to get to homes, let alone to get people out of them,” Brown said. More than 500 firefighters were assisting with the rescue effort in Santa Barbara alone.

In Burbank, a dozen firefighters sheltered in place after being trapped by mud and debris in Burbank.

But as the storm passed Wednesday morning, a rainbow appeared over Santa Barbara County…

…Proving once again that mother nature does have a sense of humor.

Mount Agung Bali Volcano Spews Ash: Prepare For Bigger Eruption, Thousands Stranded

Mount Agung, a volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali, has begun spewing volcanic ash. Over 100,000 have been evacuated, but scientists fear that’s only the beginning.

Authorities are warning of the dangerous mudflows now that Mount Agung’s eruption is all but imminent. Since the end of September, the volcano has had people on edge, but many now say they are at least more prepared, as 100,000 flee their homes for safety.

Putu Sulasmi fled with her husband and other family members to a sports hall that is serving as an evacuation center. “We came here on motorcycles. We had to evacuate because our house is just 3 miles from the mountain. We were so scared with the thundering sound and red light,” she told Associated Press. The family had stayed at the same sports center in September and October when the volcano’s alert was at the highest level for several weeks but it didn’t erupt. They had returned to their village about a week ago. “If it has to erupt let it erupt now rather than leaving us in uncertainty. I’ll just accept it if our house is destroyed,” she said.

According to the Guardian, the airport has also been shut down, stranding tourists. Bali is one of Indonesia’s top tourist locations. Airport spokesman Air Ahsanurrohim said 445 flights were canceled, stranding about 59,000 travelers. The closure is in effect until Tuesday morning although officials said the situation would be reviewed every six hours. Instrumental measurement of Mt. Agung began after the last big eruption occurred in 1963, an event that lasted a year and killed more than 1,000 people.

Mount Agung has been spewing volcano ash with increasing intensity since last Tuesday, but after heightened seismic activity and confirmation that the volcano is shifting into the magmatic phase, authorities raised the warning level to the maximum level 4 alert on Monday morning.

Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency has strongly urged people to immediately evacuate the designated exclusion zone, which has been extended to an 8-10km radius of the volcano. “We ask people in the danger zone to evacuate immediately because there’s a potential for a bigger eruption,” said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB). Up to 40,000 people had been evacuated but a further 60,000 also needed to move, he said. The governor of Bali said later that 150,000 could be called on to evacuate.

“Not all residents have evacuated yet. There are those (who haven’t evacuated) because their farm animals haven’t been evacuated yet. There are those who feel they are safe,” Sutopo said, adding that security personnel were trying to persuade people to leave. If they refuse to leave their homes, they could be evacuated by force.