Death toll from California mudslides rises to 19

Montecito mudslide MAP

Montecito mudslide MAP

The hard search goes on in Montecito, California, five days after storm-spawned mudslides roared down from fire-stripped hillsides and smashed through dozens of homes, killing at least 18 people and leaving others missing.

One of California's most celebrated roads, coastal Highway 101, was partially closed, with mud that was two feet deep in places, while in Montecito, mud reached the roof lines of houses, as residents surveyed their damaged homes.

The body of Morgan Christine Corey, 25, was found in mud and debris in Montecito, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. Earlier, officials said just eight people were unaccounted for.

He and his partner of 17 years, Ralph "Lalo" Barajas, were swept out of their home before dawn Tuesday by the devastating slide.

The drenching rains that unleashed the deadly torrents managed to finally contain the largest wildfire in state history, which burned for weeks above Montecito and stripped the steep hills of vegetation, making it prone to mudslides. The mudslide have damaged hundreds of buildings and caked highways with sludge.

The number of missing remains in flux, with authorities saying Friday it was five people, down from an estimate of 43 the day before.

Santa Barbara County said emergency permits don't require testing of the material for hazards but that public health authorities were testing the ocean waters.

Residents in some areas were subject to a new mandatory evacuation on Friday, emergency officials said, adding the unstable environment remained a threat.

Rescuers have searched frantically for the missing after rivers of mud and boulders flooded through neighborhoods in and near Montecito, an affluent seaside community east of Santa Barbara, demolishing homes and leaving roads impassable.

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"It is heavy. It's wet".

Henzgen, the Los Angeles Fire Department captain, pointed to a almost empty lot.

More than 1,200 workers have been deployed in the town of about 9,000 residents for the search and cleanup effort.

Powerlines were downed and cars were perched on mounds of earth after garage doors caved in.

The area, northwest of Los Angeles, is home to many celebrities and other wealthy Californians who relish the seclusion and relative proximity to the city. The dead ranged in age from 3 to 89.

Evacuation orders and warnings will be lifted at noon Saturday for several areas of southern Santa Barbara County affected by the flooding and mudslides.

Cal Fire urged residents to use caution when returning and said that many areas are still without access to power and gas.

"We have a yard to redo and hopefully our insurance will help out with that, but the people across from me, newer homes, gone", said Garrett Speirs, a 54-year-old artist who has been living in Montecito for 20 years.

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