BY CHRISTIAN MARTINEZ, LA TIMES
JAN. 9, 2023 UPDATED 9:02 PM PT

MONTECITO, Calif. —  A powerful winter storm barreled into Southern California on Monday, forcing the mass evacuation of Montecito and other communities exactly five years after mudslides in the same area left 23 people dead.

Pounding rain wreaked havoc throughout the coastal counties north of Los Angeles, bringing flooding, road closures and deaths, including in San Luis Obispo County a 5-year-old boy who was swept away by flood waters and a motorist who entered a flooded roadway.

Montecito Resident Ellen DeGeneres, Sheltering In Place
Residents of wealthy California enclave ordered to evacuate

The storm, which was expected to move through Los Angeles, Orange and other southern counties through Tuesday, dumped more than 10 inches of rain in some areas and prompted pleas for people to stay indoors.

“This is not a day to be out doing anything you don’t have to,” said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown

Normally tame creek beds were transformed into raging torrents. Roads were choked with water and debris and, in one case, a person was seen kayaking down a street swamped by windshield-high water.

If you liked this post, you’ll love our daily EnviroPolitics. It’s packed with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please don’t take our word for it, try it free for an entire month. No obligation.