Rescue crews continue to search wreckage for missing people two days after powerful mudslides swept through the Southern California community of Montecito, killing at least 17 people and injuring more than two dozen. It’s no secret that drought, wildfires and mudslides ― all three of which California has witnessed of late ― are connected. The Thomas fire burned through over 280,000 acres in Southern California in December, leaving the land scorched and flood-prone. Vegetation whose root systems might have held back the mudflow was destroyed, and the stage was set for deadly and fast-moving mudslides as Southern California was deluged with heavy rainfall. When wildfires flared in Southern California, state officials acted fast to send alerts to some 8 million smartphones in the area.

Source: Huffington Post January 11, 2018 21:45 UTC