Oprah Affected by S. California Mudslide

By Epoch Newsroom
January 10, 2018 Last Updated: January 10, 2018
Oprah Winfrey at the ”'Belief” New York premiere on Oct. 14, 2015. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Oprah Winfrey said she is one of the people who is affected by the deadly mudslides in Southern California.

“What a day! Praying for our community again in Santa Barbara. Woke up to this blazing gas fire. then swipe left to see how deep the mud is in my backyard. Helicopters rescuing my neighbors. Looking for missing persons. 13 lives lost. #Mudslides,” she wrote on Instagram.

She also shot footage of flames that were burning, sparked by a gas leak, amid a downpour, People reported. “This is how deep the mud is,” she said while turning the camera on the backyard.

Oprah lives on a 65-acre estate in Santa Barbara.

Officials said Tuesday, Jan.9, that 13 people died and 25 people were injured in the mudslides around Santa Barbara.

Gigi and Bella Hadid, who are from Santa Barbara, also posted images of Montecito covered in mud and submerged underwater.

“My beautiful hometown of Montecito. … Where my roots were placed, where my mother raised me and my family,” an emotional Hadid, 21, posted on social media. “Completely under water. I really can’t believe it. I am praying and thinking so much for our friends in the hospital and their families that are still missing.”

My beautiful home town of Montecito…. Where my roots were placed, where my mother raised me and my family. Completely under water. I really can't believe it. I am praying and thinking so much for our friends in the hospital and their families that are still missing. For our horses, dogs, cats-all animals- that gave us happiness, who are now searching for a dry place to lay their heads.. our elementary school… The freeway to drive to school and where @mini_jk_imbig and I would walk after school.. under water. My heart is broken…. I remember when something similar happened in La Conchita about 12 years ago, so close to us and how much it took to rebuild… I can't imagine how Montecito feels now. I am so sorry. As always- Please send websites for donations. I'm ready to help. Thank you to the rescue, fire fighters and security teams in SB for staying strong and your hard work to pull out anybody and anything in sight. My love is with you so deeply SB.

A post shared by 🦋 (@bellahadid) on

Rob Lowe, who  has a home in Montecito, said on Twitter he was “mourning the dead in our little town tonight.” Before, he posted that he was under mandatory evacuation.

Wayne is ready for the rain. We are under mandatory evacuation orders again!

A post shared by Rob Lowe (@robloweofficial) on

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres posted a picture on Twitter of the flooding on Highway 101 in Montecito. She wrote: “This is not a river. This is the 101 freeway in my neighborhood right now. Montecito needs your love and support.”

 

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