It has been reported that at least 13 people have died due to heavy rains last night in Southern California. The deluge helped trigger mudslides which quickly enveloped streets throughout the Montecito neighbourhood, as rescue workers scavenged the clogged streets and fallen trees to search for victims.
Montecito has also been been hit by the Thomas fires which ravaged the surrounding Santa Barbara County a few weeks prior. According to Santa Barbara County Fire spokesman Mike Eliason, in a matter of minutes, the heavy rains flooded a creek that leads to the ocean, eventually sending mud and massive boulders into neighbourhoods along the way.
Alongside the 13-person death toll, another 25 were injured, as crews rescued 50 people by air and another 25 by ground.
Eliason notes how "it’s going to be worse than anyone imagined for our area," while also admitting "following our fire, this is the worst-case scenario."
2017 saw an abundance of natural disasters destroying communities, killing innocent civilians, while also causing significant trauma to the landscape. From the devastating Mexico City earthquake, to the monster hurricanes which ripped through most of the tropics, Mother Nature posed a more serious threat than modern warfare ever could.