The Californian city where they live Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, Montecito, was evacuated due to the risk that mudslides could overwhelm the houses. US President Joe Biden yesterday decreed an emergency in California in light of the ongoing “severe winter storms, floods and landslides”.
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by Enrico Franceschini
The city of VIPs
Montecito, a city of about 9,000 people that’s also a favorite of American entertainment stars like Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston, has experienced record rainfall in the past 24 hours, with its hillsides already drenched from weeks of downpours. Emergency services in the city, which is 90 minutes from Los Angeles, yesterday advised everyone to evacuate. “Go away now! This is a rapidly evolving situation. Please pay close attention to emergency warnings,” the fire department’s website reads.
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The risk of landslides
Police have set up checkpoints to prevent people from entering the city, where several streets have been flooded. Montecito, whose multimillion-dollar properties are perched in the beautiful California countryside, is particularly vulnerable to landslides because it sits at the foot of a mountain range that was devastated by a wildfire five years ago that stripped the hillsides of the vegetation that normally holds soil. .
Former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres posted a video on Twitter of a raging creek near her home. The city is also home to many other entertainment stars, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Rob Lowe and Larry David. Spokesmen for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not respond to a request for comment.