All residents of Montecito, California, including celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow, are ordered to 'LEAVE NOW' as a fierce winter storm has pounded the area.
- January 10, 2023
AceShowbiz - Not even celebrities' luxury houses can be their safe havens in the threat of Mother Nature. Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry and everyone who live in Montecito have been ordered to evacuate immediately amid mudslides.
Taking to her Instagram page, Ellen shared a scary update on the flash flood in the area. She showed a creek next to her property raging as she filmed herself on a safe place next to it. "Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone," she captioned it.
In the video, the comedian, who was wearing a gray sweater with her hoody up, said to the camera, "So, Montecito is under complete evacuation. The entire town." She mentioned the tragedy that ravaged the area five years ago as saying, "This is the five year anniversary from the fire and mudslides that killed so many people and, er, people lost their homes and lives."
"This is crazy that on the five year anniversary we are having unprecedented rain. This creek next to our house never flows ever," the former daytime talk show host continued. She noted that the water is already nine feet high and will likely go two more feet up. She went on urging people to be "nicer to Mother Nature", saying, "Mother Nature is not happy with us. Stay safe everybody."
The Montecito Fire Department told all surrounding residents on Monday, January 9 to "Leave Now" after the location was hit with more than eight inches of rain in just 12 hours. Those who choose not to evacuate should be ready to "sustain yourself and your household for multiple days," the order said, as residents "may not be able to leave the area, and emergency responders may not be able to access your property in the event of road damage, flooding or a debris flow."
The order impacts about 10,000 people in Montecito and the surrounding area. Celebrities like Oprah, Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Rob Lowe, Adam Levine, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Lucas are believed to be affected by the conditions.
The conditions have led to trees toppling onto roadways, making evacuation harder. Evacuation centers have been reportedly set up for those who can reach them.
Five years ago, a storm unleashed mudslide that killed 23 people in the town located 90 miles from Los Angeles. More than 100 homes were destroyed.
