Rescuers used dogs and helicopters to search for victims on Wednesday of powerful mudslides which left at least 17 people dead in a southern California community that is also home to major celebrities including Oprah Winfrey.

Heavy rains on Tuesday sent rivers of waist-high mud and debris flowing from the hills into Montecito and other towns in Santa Barbara County northwest of Los Angeles, which are still recovering from last month&#39;s ferocious wildfires.

&quot;We are saddened to report that the death toll has now risen to 17,&quot; Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told reporters, saying it had been &quot;another extremely challenging day.&quot;

At least 28 people were injured, authorities said, while 30,000 remained subject to mandatory evacuation orders.

The US Coast Guard released footage of a couple, their two young children and two dogs being plucked from their roof and hoisted up to a helicopter in baskets.

Yellow bulldozers were clearing the roads of tons of sticky brown mud in Montecito and other towns as utility workers restored downed power lines.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who has been touted this week as a possible 2020 candidate for the White House, was among those affected by the mudslides.

Winfrey posted a video of herself outside her Montecito mansion wading through near-knee deep mud.

In some neighbourhoods still bearing the scars of the Thomas Fire, houses were completely destroyed while others nearby were untouched.

&quot;Part of the problem with this is the fire created a situation where the dirt was able to wash down,&quot; said Richard Targonia, a resident of nearby Carpinteria.

&quot;Had we still had all the vegetation on the hills it would not have been as much of an issue,&quot; Targonia said.

&quot;I have lived here my whole life,&quot; said Melissa Ausanka- Crues, 29, a nurse. &quot;My family has had a house here for 30 years and never seen something like this.&quot;

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was another Montecito resident impacted by the storm.

DeGeneres posted a picture on Twitter of herself standing in mud next to a downed tree near her home.

&quot;This is the street in front of our house,&quot; she said. &quot;I don&#39;t know anything about our house yet. I&#39;m heartbroken for our community of Montecito.

Rescuers used dogs and helicopters to search for victims on Wednesday of powerful mudslides which left at least 17 people dead in a southern California community that is also home to major celebrities including Oprah Winfrey

Rescuers used dogs and helicopters to search for victims on Wednesday of powerful mudslides which left at least 17 people dead in a southern California community that is also home to major celebrities including Oprah Winfrey. Heavy rains on Tuesday sent rivers of waist-high mud and debris flowing from the hills into Montecito and other towns in Santa Barbara County northwest of Los Angeles, which are still recovering from last month's ferocious wildfires. "We are saddened to report that the death toll has now risen to 17," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told reporters, saying it had been "another extremely challenging day." At least 28 people were injured, authorities said, while 30,000 remained subject to mandatory evacuation orders. The US Coast Guard released footage of a couple, their two young children and two dogs being plucked from their roof and hoisted up to a helicopter in baskets. Yellow bulldozers were clearing the roads of tons of sticky brown mud in Montecito and other towns as utility workers restored downed power lines. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey, who has been touted this week as a possible 2020 candidate for the White House, was among those affected by the mudslides. Winfrey posted a video of herself outside her Montecito mansion wading through near-knee deep mud. In some neighbourhoods still bearing the scars of the Thomas Fire, houses were completely destroyed while others nearby were untouched. "Part of the problem with this is the fire created a situation where the dirt was able to wash down," said Richard Targonia, a resident of nearby Carpinteria. "Had we still had all the vegetation on the hills it would not have been as much of an issue," Targonia said. "I have lived here my whole life," said Melissa Ausanka- Crues, 29, a nurse. "My family has had a house here for 30 years and never seen something like this." Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was another Montecito resident impacted by the storm. DeGeneres posted a picture on Twitter of herself standing in mud next to a downed tree near her home. "This is the street in front of our house," she said. "I don't know anything about our house yet. I'm heartbroken for our community of Montecito.

Rescuers search for victims as California mudslide toll hits 17

Mudslides unleashed by a ferocious storm demolished homes in southern California and killed at least 13 people, police said Tuesday.

Authorities said the bodies were discovered in mud and debris during rescue operations in Montecito, northwest of Los Angeles.

&quot;We are saddened to report that this incident so far has resulted in 13 confirmed fatalities, as result of the storm that came through our area last night,&quot; Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference, warning that he expected the death toll to increase.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department said on its Twitter feed it was using dogs to look for victims where multiple homes once stood in Montecito following heavy rain, with more than 20 people reported missing.

The department posted pictures of rivers of waist-high mud flowing through neighbourhoods and roads rendered impassable by fallen trees.

&quot;Firefighters successfully rescued a 14-yr-old girl after she was trapped for hours inside a destroyed home in Montecito,&quot; it added.

Roads were clogged throughout the region with mudflows shutting down more than 30 miles (50 kilometres) of the 101 Freeway and knocking a number of homes from their foundations.

Pounding rain weakened south-facing slopes above Montecito and flooded a creek, sending mud and huge rocks rolling into housing areas.

Emergency services told reporters at least &quot;two dozen&quot; people were missing with &quot;several dozen&quot; homes damaged or destroyed. They said they had rescued scores of residents, including 50 airlifted by hoist.

The highest rainfall total was recorded at five inches (13 centimetres) in Ventura County, according to the National Weather Service Los Angeles.

Much of the affected area is land scorched by the massive Thomas fire last month, where there is no vegetation to soak up the excess water.

About 275 traffic crashes were logged in the California Highway Patrol&#39;s jurisdiction in Los Angeles County during the morning commute -- compared with just 30 reported collisions during the same period on Tuesday last week.

An evacuation order was issued in a section of the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, which was hit by a mudslide that pulled cars out of driveways and carried them downstream.

The slide also caused a &quot;significant&quot; gas leak, and repair efforts left homes on the street with no gas, electricity or water.&nbsp;

&quot;There were many homes, about 40 to 45 homes, affected by it, a couple homes damaged,&quot; Burbank Fire Department Battalion Chief John Owings told local TV news channel KCAL9.

&quot;We performed two physical rescues at approximately 7 o&#39;clock this morning.&quot; &nbsp; &nbsp;

At Los Angeles International Airport, flooding forced the closure of the customs area in Terminal 2.&nbsp;

Forecasters warned that while the rain had appeared to subside by late morning, more showers and isolated thunderstorms were expected through the evening, with periods of very heavy rain.

The storm came after a 10-month dry spell in the area following torrential rains in January and February of last year. In &nbsp;2017, downtown Los Angeles experienced its driest March 1 through December 31 since 1878, with only 0.69 of an inch of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service. &nbsp;

Mudslides unleashed by a ferocious storm demolished homes in southern California and killed at least 13 people, police said Tuesday

Mudslides unleashed by a ferocious storm demolished homes in southern California and killed at least 13 people, police said Tuesday. Authorities said the bodies were discovered in mud and debris during rescue operations in Montecito, northwest of Los Angeles. "We are saddened to report that this incident so far has resulted in 13 confirmed fatalities, as result of the storm that came through our area last night," Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told a news conference, warning that he expected the death toll to increase. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department said on its Twitter feed it was using dogs to look for victims where multiple homes once stood in Montecito following heavy rain, with more than 20 people reported missing. The department posted pictures of rivers of waist-high mud flowing through neighbourhoods and roads rendered impassable by fallen trees. "Firefighters successfully rescued a 14-yr-old girl after she was trapped for hours inside a destroyed home in Montecito," it added. Roads were clogged throughout the region with mudflows shutting down more than 30 miles (50 kilometres) of the 101 Freeway and knocking a number of homes from their foundations. Pounding rain weakened south-facing slopes above Montecito and flooded a creek, sending mud and huge rocks rolling into housing areas. Emergency services told reporters at least "two dozen" people were missing with "several dozen" homes damaged or destroyed. They said they had rescued scores of residents, including 50 airlifted by hoist. The highest rainfall total was recorded at five inches (13 centimetres) in Ventura County, according to the National Weather Service Los Angeles. Much of the affected area is land scorched by the massive Thomas fire last month, where there is no vegetation to soak up the excess water. About 275 traffic crashes were logged in the California Highway Patrol's jurisdiction in Los Angeles County during the morning commute -- compared with just 30 reported collisions during the same period on Tuesday last week. An evacuation order was issued in a section of the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, which was hit by a mudslide that pulled cars out of driveways and carried them downstream. The slide also caused a "significant" gas leak, and repair efforts left homes on the street with no gas, electricity or water. "There were many homes, about 40 to 45 homes, affected by it, a couple homes damaged," Burbank Fire Department Battalion Chief John Owings told local TV news channel KCAL9. "We performed two physical rescues at approximately 7 o'clock this morning." At Los Angeles International Airport, flooding forced the closure of the customs area in Terminal 2. Forecasters warned that while the rain had appeared to subside by late morning, more showers and isolated thunderstorms were expected through the evening, with periods of very heavy rain. The storm came after a 10-month dry spell in the area following torrential rains in January and February of last year. In 2017, downtown Los Angeles experienced its driest March 1 through December 31 since 1878, with only 0.69 of an inch of rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.

California mudslides demolish homes, killing at least 13

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