For days it had poured like cats and dogs. The soil, parched by months of drought, simply could no longer absorb the rainfall. A vegetation that could have stopped them was long gone in this corner of California, forest fires had reduced them to ash. The water masses made their way through the hilly US county of Santa Barbara, turning streams into torrents and triggering deadly mudslides. 23 people died on January 9, 2018 alone in the small town of Montecito, home to many celebrities.

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