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Agence France-Presse

A California town that is home to Britain’s Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle was ordered to evacuate on Monday, with firefighters warning mudslides could engulf homes.
Montecito, a town of about 9,000 people that is also a favourite of American entertainment royalty such as Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston, was expected to get up to 20cm (eight inches) of rain in 24 hours – on hillsides already sodden by weeks of downpours.
Emergency authorities in the town, which lies 90 minutes from Los Angeles, said anyone in the area should get out.
“LEAVE NOW! This is a rapidly evolving situation. Please pay close attention to emergency alerts,” a fire department website said.
Police roadblocks were set up to prevent people from getting into the town, where several roads were flooded.
Residents could be seen leaving the area, but power remained on and at least one store was still open late Monday.
Montecito, whose multimillion dollar properties are perched in breathtaking California countryside, is particularly vulnerable to mudslides because it sits at the foot of a mountain range that was ravaged by fire five years ago.
Hundreds of square kilometres of land were scorched in 2017 and 2018, denuding the hillsides of the vegetation that normally keeps soil in place.

Monday’s evacuation order came five years to the day after heavy rain had sent torrents of mud into the town, killing 23 people.
“Over the last 30 days, Montecito has received 12-20+ inches of rain across the community, exceeding our yearly average of 17 inches,” Montecito Fire said on Twitter on Monday.
“This cumulative, saturating rain puts the community at greater risk of flooding and debris flow.”
Inside Jennifer Aniston’s new US$15 million Montecito farmhouse
Former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres posted a video on Twitter of a raging creek near her home.
“This is crazy,” she told followers. “It’s probably about nine feet up, and it’s going to go another two feet.”
The town is also home to several other high-profile entertainers, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Rob Lowe and Larry David.

Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone. pic.twitter.com/7dv5wfNSzG
— Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) January 9, 2023

Spokespeople for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request for comment. The couple’s property includes a 14,500 sq ft main house and a two-bedroom guest house, as well as a teahouse, tennis court and pool.
The evacuation order in Montecito came as California was being lashed by the latest in a parade of storms that have already killed 12 people.
A swathe of the Golden State was under flood warnings, as it struggled to cope with yet more rain on top of near-record downpours in recent weeks – with even more forecast over the coming days.
How Meghan Markle is finally living her American dream with Prince Harry
“Two major episodes of heavy rain and heavy mountain snow are expected to impact California in quick succession during the next couple of days in association with two of the more energetic and moisture-laden parade of cyclones that are aiming directly for” the state, the National Weather Service said.
Up to 12cm (about five inches) of rain could fall throughout Monday in coastal regions of central California, the NWS said.
More rain will follow on Tuesday, while the Sierra Nevada mountains could get hit with up to six feet (1.8 metres) of snow, making for hazardous conditions.


Governor Gavin Newsom said 12 people had died over the last 10 days.
Last week he declared a state of emergency and on Sunday was granted a presidential emergency declaration.
“We expect to see the worst of it still ahead of us,” Newsom told reporters.
Almost 80,000 homes were without power in the state on Monday.
While heavy rain is not unusual for California during the winter, these downpours are testing the state.
They come as much of the western US is more than two decades into a punishing drought that has seen a large increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
Scientists say human-caused climate change, brought about by the unchecked burning of fossil fuels, has supercharged these wild swings in weather, making droughts more severe and rainfall more intense when it does occur.
Even the recent heavy rains have not been enough to reverse the drought.
Scientists say several years of above-average rainfall are needed to get reservoirs back to healthy levels.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg and Tribune News Service


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Extreme weather

California town home to Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey ordered to evacuate over mudslide fears

Montecito homeowners include Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Photo: AP

Powerful rains have caused flooding in the area, and strong winds have hurled debris onto roadways. Photo: Courtesy of California Highway Patrol/TNS

Inside Jennifer Aniston’s new US$15 million Montecito farmhouse: the Friends star bought the Tuscan-style home from Oprah Winfrey, with Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and Ariana Grande as neighbours

Jennifer Aniston purchased Oprah Winfrey’s farm house. Photos: Luxurylaunches, @jenniferaniston/Instagram

The Tuscan-style farmhouse was built in 1998. Photo: Coldwell Banker

Oprah Winfrey splashed out on the home for US$10.5 million in 2021, according to reports. Photo: Luxurylaunches

Oprah Winfrey bought the Montecito abode from a New York hedge fund manager. Photo: Coldwell Banker

Oprah Winfrey’s former home features a main house, two small cottages and beautiful greenery space. Photo: Luxurylaunches

The dining table of Jennifer Aniston’s Montecito farmhouse. Photo: Coldwell Banker

Jennifer Aniston is one of the most well-known actresses of today, particularly thanks to her role in Friends. Photo: @jenniferaniston/Instagram

Jennifer Aniston’s Los Angeles house that she bought back in 2011 for US$21 million. Photo: Luxurylaunches

Jennifer Aniston boasts an impressive property portfolio. Photo: @jenniferaniston/Instagram

How Meghan Markle is finally living her American dream: the ‘Princess of Montecito’ visits Oprah Winfrey, spends weekends at the polo, and celebrated the 4th of July with Prince Harry in Wyoming

Meghan Markle seems to have carved a picture perfect life for herself and Prince Harry in America. Photo: Getty

Britain’s Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their first photo of baby Lilibet Diana, seen here with the couple and older brother Archie. Photo: Alexi Lubomirski

Montecito, US, is known for its A-list neighbours and as one of the nation’s wealthiest places to live. Photo: Trulia

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle watching the fireworks. Photo: @hrhofsussex/Instagram

Meghan Markle at the polo in Santa Barbara. Photo: Getty Images

Meghan Markle has a new polo buddy to watch their husbands play together: Delfina Blaquier. Photo: Getty Images

Delfina Blaquier with her husband Nacho Figueras. Photo: Getty Images

Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey are becoming increasingly close. Photos: @archewell_hm, @oprah/Instagram

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle speaks during the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in The Hague, on April 16. Photo: AFP

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, attend the 2021 Salute to Freedom Gala at Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, in November 2021, in New York City. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

Meghan Markle and Nelson Mandela’s widow, Graça Michal, in Johannesburg. Photo: Getty Images

News

World

United States & Canada

The Southern California coastal town of Montecito under an evacuation order after the latest torrential downpour that’s drenched the state
Montecito homeowners include celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, and Ellen DeGeneres


Firefighters warned that mudslides could engulf homes in Montecito – a seaside haven for celebrities and billionaires.


California town home to Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey ordered to evacuate over mudslide fears

The Southern California coastal town of Montecito under an evacuation order after the latest torrential downpour that’s drenched the state Montecito homeowners include celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, and Ellen DeGeneres

The Southern California coastal town of Montecito under an evacuation order after the latest torrential downpour that’s drenched the state

Montecito homeowners include celebrities Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, and Ellen DeGeneres