Ellen DeGeneres shared a frightening clip of rushing flood waters around her home in Montecito, California, which has been put under mandatory evacuation following heavy rainstorms.
“Montecito is under complete evacuation, the entire town,” she said in the clip, while filming the muddy deluge behind her. “This is the five-year anniversary of the fire and mudslides that killed so many people … and people lost their homes and lives,” she said, referring to the deadly mudslide that killed 20 people in 2018.
Glancing back nervously at the rushing water, she said, “This is crazy. We are having unprecedented rain. This creek next to our house never flows, ever. It’s probably about 9 feet up and it’s going to go up another 2 feet.”
She said she and wife Portia de Rossi are prepared to evacuate, but have been told to shelter in place for now as they are on higher ground.
“We need to be nicer to Mother Nature,” she added, “Because Mother Nature is not happy with us.” She ended her video with, “Let’s all do our part. Stay safe, everybody.”
The town in Santa Barbara County, which has a population of about 8,200, is also home to Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Five inches of rain, part of what’s been termed an “atmospheric river,” have fallen in the area since this morning, with more expected Monday night, Yahoo reports. The evacuation order also includes Toro Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, and Padaro Lane, according to the Weather Channel.
The recent rain has already caused severe damage and flooding in the San Francisco area, with Highway 101 being declared “a moving river.” Los Angeles County has not been as seriously affected, but has seen damaged piers, washed out roads and toppled trees.
