Mudslides - Pacific Standard

Mudslides

Thousand of cottontail rabbits were killed in the Thomas Fire, victims of both their inability to move large distances quickly and their susceptibility to heat. This cottontail rabbit was in the Ventura Botanical Garden, above Ventura's city hall.

One local ecologist set out to catalog the destruction.

By Francie Diep

Rescue workers walk amid the debris of damaged property from mudflows carrying boulders, rocks, and uprooted trees in Montecito, California, on January 12th, 2018.

To avoid repeating California's recent devastation, susceptible regions must prepare for future disasters.

By David R. Montgomery

Mud fills a street in Burbank, California, on January 9th, 2018.

At least 15 people were killed in the wreckage in Montecito, California. Dozens more are still missing.

By Candace Butera

A firefighter instructs journalists to retreat to safer ground after a rain-driven mudslide destroyed two cars and damaged property in a neighborhood under mandatory evacuation in Burbank, California, January 9th, 2018.

At least eight people have been killed by mudflows after a deluge of rain fell on the region left vulnerable by the Thomas Fire.

By Kate Wheeling

A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy alerts a resident of mandatory evacuations on January 8th, 2018, in the Creek Fire burn area.

Mudslides, waterspouts, and flash flooding are expected in already hard-hit areas.

By Eric Holthaus

Heavy El Niño rains could trigger mudslides in California this winter. These scientists are trying to figure out the whens and wheres.

By Alisa Opar