As a relentless string of storms continue to inundate California with drenching rains, Ellen DeGeneres, who lives in the seaside community of Montecito, shared video showing the raging floodwaters on the brink of her property.
"This creek near our house never, ever flows. It's probably about 9 feet up, and it could go another 2 feet up," DeGeneres said in a video posted to her Instagram account. "We have horses ready to evacuate."
The entire community of Montecito, which is also home to other celebrities including Prince Harry and Oprah, has been ordered to flee. DeGeneres notes in her caption that because her home where she lives with her wife, actor Portia de Rossi, is on higher ground, officials told her to "shelter in place."
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The evacuation order comes on the fifth anniversary of a mudslide that killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes in the coastal enclave.
"This is the 5 year anniversary from the fire and mudslides that killed so many people and people lost their homes, their lives," the talk show host said. "This is crazy. On the five year anniversary, we're having unprecedented rain."
"Please be kind to Mother Nature because Mother Nature is not happy with us," she added. "Let's all do our part."
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The storm, fueled by a long plume of moisture over the Pacific Ocean, hammered the area with downpours into the evening.
The intense rainfall pummeled hillsides, triggering mudslides and debris flows in a Studio City neighborhood. The storms swamped roads and battered coastlines with high surf, turning rivers into gushing flood zones. At least 14 people, including a 5-year-old boy, have died since the storms began last week.
