CA - Dozens Missing in Southern California Mudslides, January 2018

[Gardener1850]

Delbert Weltzin, 62

https://signalscv.com/2018/01/seven-people-still-missing-mudslide-aftermath/

Delbert was found alive today!

Brown also said a 62-year-old man named Delbert Weltzin was found alive by rescue teams; the number of missing people stands at five.
"While every hour it remains less likely that we will find anyone alive, there is always hope," the sheriff said.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/1...-in-rescue-efforts-as-death-toll-hits-19.html

 

[Gardener1850]

And I can see his picture in the quoted post but not the original. Hmmmm... Going to quote those who are still missing to see if their pictures pop up.

 

[Gardener1850]

John “Jack” Cantin, 17

https://signalscv.com/2018/01/seven-people-still-missing-mudslide-aftermath/

Daily Mail is reporting Jack was found alive and is in the hospital, his sister also survived but their father did not make it:

Lauren Cantin, 14, was rescued from her collapsed Montecito home where she had been trapped for hours. Video captured the moment firefighters, who heard her screams, pulled the mud-caked teen free from the mud.

​

'I thought I was dead for a minute there,' she could be heard saying on video posted by KNBC-TV before she was taken away on a stretcher.

But her father Dave Cantin, a VP, Global Sales & Marketing at NDS Surgical Imaging, was sadly not so lucky. Both Dave and Lauren's brother Jack were swept away in the floods and reported missing yesterday.

Friends have since revealed on social media that Dave was killed in the floods, while Jack, who attends Santa Barbara High School, was rescued and is hospital.

Family friend Brian Maher said: 'I was updated by my family that John passed and his son was pulled down the river and lived. Prayers for the family.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-missing-sisters-Montecito.html#ixzz547rcvlYl

Prayers for these kids as they have lost their dad in a very traumatic way
​

 

[Gardener1850]

Faviola Benitez Calderon, 28

https://signalscv.com/2018/01/seven-people-still-missing-mudslide-aftermath/

Faviola is still missing. Here is some of her family's story:

Marilyn Ramos was asleep in bed with her 3-year-old daughter, Kaelly Benitez, when the mudslide came crashing through their rental home, carrying both to their deaths.

Also killed was Kaelly's 10-year-old cousin, Jonathan Benitez, who was asleep nearby.

Marilyn's husband, Antonio Benitez, was injured, as was his brother, Victor, who is Jonathan's father. Victor's 2-year-old son survived, but his wife, Faviola Benitez Calderon, 28, was missing.
The brothers, immigrants from Mexico, owned a gardening and landscaping business in Montecito. Marilyn was a stay-at-home mom.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/article194553244.html#storylink=cpy
​

http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/article194553244.html

So sad to read about family's torn apart by this natural disaster. :tears:

RIP Marilyn :rose:
RIP Kaelly :rose:
RIP Jonathan :rose:

I hope for a miracle for Faviola and for Antonio, Victor and the 2 year old son to recover and heal.

 

[Gardener1850]

Pinit Sutthithepa, 30

https://signalscv.com/2018/01/seven-people-still-missing-mudslide-aftermath/

Lydia Sutthithepa, 2

https://signalscv.com/2018/01/seven-people-still-missing-mudslide-aftermath/

Pinit and baby Lydia are still missing. Another family torn apart:

Peerawat, a boy with big brown eyes and a toothy grin, was known to his family as Pasta. One family friend remembered that he adored trains.

The home belonging to the family of Thai immigrants on East Valley Road was destroyed by mud, boulders, debris and rushing water, Mike Caldwell, who managed Peerawat’s father at Toyota of Santa Barbara, said on a GoFundMe page. “Literally nothing is left.”

Peerawat’s father, Pinit Sutthithepa, and his 2-year-old sister, Lydia, are still missing. Taylor, Sutthithepa’s stepfather, was killed. Peerawat’s mother and grandmother were working when the mudslide hit and are safe, Caldwell said.
In a photo posted on social media in November, the boy has his arm wrapped around his younger sister as they smile and pose on the beach. In another, they are cuddled together in their father’s arms.

Anneliese Place, 50, worked with Sutthithepa at the Toyota dealership. He often talked about his family and his beautiful wife, she said.
“That was always the phrase he used: my beautiful wife, my beautiful wife,” Place said. Sometimes, his wife would join Sutthithepa at work, bringing their two children. Peerawat would run around Place’s desk and giggle, she said.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-montecito-mudslide-victims-20180113-story.html

:tears:Hoping for a miracle for this family too. For Pinit to be found alive holding onto his daughter alive.

 

[Gardener1850]

John “Jack” Keating, 53

“A separate Montecito resident also named John Keating was seriously injured during this incident and is in the hospital,” said the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. “The John Keating listed above is a separate individual and is still on our active missing persons list.”
https://signalscv.com/2018/01/seven-people-still-missing-mudslide-aftermath/

John Keating above is still missing-- though incorrect reports of him being found have circulated. Another John Keating was found, not this one. The above John Keating is homeless.
[h=1]The Latest: Man Thought Found After Mudslide Still Missing[/h]

Authorities in California say a man they thought they had found after this week's mudslide is actually still missing.


At a news conference Friday, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown had said 53-year-old John Keating was among the missing. Brown returned to the microphone minutes later to say a call had been received and Keating had been found at a hospital outside the area.


But the sheriff's office had to walk back that conclusion a few hours later when they learned it was a different John Keating found at the hospital, and the one they were seeking was still missing.


Authorities also added one more name to the missing list, 62-year-old Delbert Weltzin. He brings the total of missing to seven.

The sheriff's office says Weltzin and the Keating who is still missing are homeless men who frequent the Montecito area.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-st...e-that-led-to-deadly-slides-finally-contained

 

[Gardener1850]

Dave fixed the pictures, whoo hoo!

 

[DakotaMayi]

Good morning :coffeews:

Thank you for these updates, Gardener! Much appreciated.

When I got here today I remembered Morgan Corey (as we already knew her sisters fate) and thought I would check for an update once I got caught up... I see the sad update now

Entire families ripped apart. CA, we are with you.

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]Twenty dead as search for California mudslide survivors grinds on[/h]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The search for survivors of the deadly mudslides in parts of California’s Santa Barbara County continued Sunday even as hopes dwindled to find anyone alive, officials said.
“We’re still in rescue mode and we still hope to find someone alive, although the chances of that are becoming slim,” said Justin Cooper, a spokesperson for the multi-agency response team.
The death toll rose to 20 on Sunday with four people still missing, Cooper said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ia-mudslide-survivors-grinds-on-idUSKBN1F30DE

It doesn't say who was found
I will keep an eye out for an update.

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]The Latest: Vigil planned for California mudslide victims[/h]

9 a.m.

A candlelight vigil is planned for the victims of devastating mudslides in Southern California.

Five people remain missing Sunday as crews continue to remove mud, boulders and downed trees five days after a powerful storm sent flash floods rushing through coastal Montecito, killing at least 19 people.

The vigil organized by Montecito elected officials is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Garden. The event will include an interfaith service. Anyone wanting to attend is invited to bring candles.

The mudslides before dawn Tuesday destroyed at least 65 homes and damaged more than 460 others.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/latest-vigil-planned-california-mudslide-victims-52341355

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]California officials rush to clear mudslide debris fearing second storm[/h]

Jan. 14 (UPI) -- California officials are rushing to clear debris from last week's deadly mudslides in advance of another possible storm, as another person was found dead Sunday.

Santa Barbara County Emergency Management Director Rob Lewin on Saturday said blocked drainage channels in the Montecito area could lead to "more mud and flow" even if a storm of "less intensity" hits the area.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/201...de-debris-fearing-second-storm/1671515946391/

 

[Gardener1850]

Pinit Sutthithepa, 30

https://signalscv.com/2018/01/seven-people-still-missing-mudslide-aftermath/

Twenty dead as search for California mudslide survivors grinds on



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ia-mudslide-survivors-grinds-on-idUSKBN1F30DE

It doesn't say who was found
I will keep an eye out for an update.

Sad Update:

MONTECITO, Calif. (AP) - The Latest on deadly California mudslides (all times local):

12:05 p.m.

Officials say a 30-year-old father who had been missing after mudslides cascaded through Montecito earlier this week has been identified as one of the dead.

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office says Pinit Sutthithepa's body was found Saturday afternoon. His 2-year-old daughter, Lydia, is still missing.

Sutthithepa's 6-year-old son, Peerawat, and his father-in-law, 79-year-old Richard Loring Taylor, were also among the 20 people killed.
Authorities say four people, including Sutthithepa's daughter, have been reported missing.
Friends have said Sutthithepa immigrated from Thailand, leaving behind his wife and two children but sending them money for years until he could bring them to the United States

http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Th...her-among-20-dead-in-mudslides-469262823.html

RIP Pinit :rose:

 

[DakotaMayi]

Sad Update:

http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Th...her-among-20-dead-in-mudslides-469262823.html

RIP Pinit :rose:

It is not looking good for Lydia ... Please let me be wrong.

 

[IQuestion]

[h=1]Twenty dead as search for California mudslide survivors grinds on[/h]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...ia-mudslide-survivors-grinds-on-idUSKBN1F30DE

It doesn't say who was found
I will keep an eye out for an update.

GARDENER1850 I haven't posted much on this thread....it is too close to home, both geographically and emotionally. You have taken extraordinary efforts to provide us with updates and photos of the missing. It personalizes the uniqueness of each precious life.....and we get to see them as individuals and not as news blurbs simply stating, "death toll increases." Every time I see pictures of the huge boulders in the middle of the roads, I realize the difficulty first responders are experiencing. Any one of those boulders (weighing thousands of pounds and traveling downhill) is dangerous and unstable.....and still capable of causing severe injury, even if dislodged a few inches.
I have decided two words should NEVER be used in the same sentence: VOLUNTARY and EVACUATION. (Add it to the list of oxymoronic phrases....."slight danger"....) No matter the topography of an area, fires wiping out the vegetation and the onset of rains....who can possible pinpoint exactly what area will get the most concentrated rains in a 25 mile stretch of coastal low lands?? But as I type this, I realize it is done all the time in South Eastern coastal areas when hundreds of thousands of residents are warned to move out of the path of a hurricane. I guess all the years of living in beautiful California has insulated many of us from climate extremes and the unpredictable ravages of Mother Nature: Snow storms, hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes etc. that we see in other areas of the country. I am used to the earth quakes (we even have weekly seismic reports in our newspapers!) Even up to the hour reports, go figure.
http://scedc.caltech.edu/recent/)
But now, things have changed....a 10 year drought, wildfires fueled by dry vegetation and land that has become hydrophobic (repelling normal absorption) causing rain water to be filled with debris, ash and mud moving downhill at an increased velocity. (ie it is not "clear water" anymore....it is thick and at least 1/3 if it is ash, debris and mud.) Please note, I am far from an expert on this subject, but I took a lot of notes when the experts spoke at our city meeting. So just sharing what the hired consultants shared with us.
But, heard enough to make me very frightened by the impending rainfall. We (DH and I) made sure we were staying in an area that had "natural waterways" to handle flooding on either side of our current location.
I am thinking the area of Montecito that experienced the mudslide and flooding.....had never experienced such severe flooding in recorded history. Good night to all, just trying to make sense of so much sadness. Humbly, IQ.

 

[Gardener1850]

It is not looking good for Lydia ... Please let me be wrong.

I was hoping she would be found in her father's arms. Now I am just hoping she will be found. :anguish:

 

[Gardener1850]

GARDENER1850 I haven't posted much on this thread....it is too close to home, both geographically and emotionally. You have taken extraordinary efforts to provide us with updates and photos of the missing. It personalizes the uniqueness of each precious life.....and we get to see them as individuals and not as news blurbs simply stating, "death toll increases." Every time I see pictures of the huge boulders in the middle of the roads, I realize the difficulty first responders are experiencing. Any one of those boulders (weighing thousands of pounds and traveling downhill) is dangerous and unstable.....and still capable of causing severe injury, even if dislodged a few inches.
I have decided two words should NEVER be used in the same sentence: VOLUNTARY and EVACUATION. (Add it to the list of oxymoronic phrases....."slight danger"....) No matter the topography of an area, fires wiping out the vegetation and the onset of rains....who can possible pinpoint exactly what area will get the most concentrated rains in a 25 mile stretch of coastal low lands?? But as I type this, I realize it is done all the time in South Eastern coastal areas when hundreds of thousands of residents are warned to move out of the path of a hurricane. I guess all the years of living in beautiful California has insulated many of us from climate extremes and the unpredictable ravages of Mother Nature: Snow storms, hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes etc. that we see in other areas of the country. I am used to the earth quakes (we even have weekly seismic reports in our newspapers!) Even up to the hour reports, go figure.
http://scedc.caltech.edu/recent/)
But now, things have changed....a 10 year drought, wildfires fueled by dry vegetation and land that has become hydrophobic (repelling normal absorption) causing rain water to be filled with debris, ash and mud moving downhill at an increased velocity. (ie it is not "clear water" anymore....it is thick and at least 1/3 if it is ash, debris and mud.) Please note, I am far from an expert on this subject, but I took a lot of notes when the experts spoke at our city meeting. So just sharing what the hired consultants shared with us.
But, heard enough to make me very frightened by the impending rainfall. We (DH and I) made sure we were staying in an area that had "natural waterways" to handle flooding on either side of our current location.
I am thinking the area of Montecito that experienced the mudslide and flooding.....had never experienced such severe flooding in recorded history. Good night to all, just trying to make sense of so much sadness. Humbly, IQ.

:grouphug: I agree. It is good to remember that these extraordinary natural disasters can happen no matter where you live and no matter who you are. JMHO.

 

[Gardener1850]

Hope is fading for the four people who remained unaccounted for on Sunday, including the two-year-old daughter of the latest victim to be named.

<snip>

At 6.30pm local time last night, the sheriff&#8217;s office said the current list of active missing person cases includes her daughter Lydia Sutthithepa, 2.
The other missing people on the list were John &#8216;Jack&#8217; Cantin, 17, Faviola Benitez Calderon, 28, and John &#8216;Jack&#8217; Keating, 53.
The update on missing people said: &#8220;Sheriff&#8217;s detectives are actively investigating these missing persons cases. &#8220;
But emergency officials warned the chances of finding more survivors in the ravaged landscape of hardened muck, boulders and other debris had waned considerably.

The authorities said the search-and-rescue mission had shifted into a "search-and-recovery" effort, reflecting the diminished likelihood of finding anyone else alive.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...y-missing-people-will-another-mudslide-happen

*This UK source wrongly identified Lydia's father Pinit as her mother. Her mother is still alive and it was her father who was just found deceased.

 

[Gardener1850]

Daily Mail is reporting Jack was found alive and is in the hospital, his sister also survived but their father did not make it:

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-missing-sisters-Montecito.html#ixzz547rcvlYl

Prayers for these kids as they have lost their dad in a very traumatic way
​

The above contradicts that UK source saying Jack Cantin is still missing and says he was found alive. I hope the Daily Mail is correct.

 

[Gardener1850]

[h=1]California mudslides: Death toll rises to 20, 4 still missing[/h]

Those killed ranged in age from 3 to 89, and all lived in Montecito in Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, authorities said.

In addition to Lydia Sutthithepa, John "Jack" Cantin, 17; Faviola Benitez Calderon, 28; and John "Jack" Keating, 53 are missing.
Sunday night the sheriff's office said the search-and-rescue operation is now a search-and-recovery effort.

escuers have been searching frantically for the missing since rivers of mud and boulders plowed through neighborhoods in and nearMontecito, an affluent seaside community east of Santa Barbara, demolishing homes and leaving roads impassable. "In disaster circumstances, there have been many miraculous stories of people lasting many days. We certainly are searching for a miracle right now," Brown said Thursday.
"But realistically we suspect that we are going to continue to have discovery of people who were killed in this incident."

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/14/us/southern-california-mudslides/index.html

Ugh, CNN says Jack is still among the missing-- which now seems to be a list of those presumed dead.

Hoping for a miracle for all 4 people but praying they can at least be recovered swiftly and returned to their families.

 

[FindHG]

GARDENER1850 I haven't posted much on this thread....it is too close to home, both geographically and emotionally. You have taken extraordinary efforts to provide us with updates and photos of the missing. It personalizes the uniqueness of each precious life.....and we get to see them as individuals and not as news blurbs simply stating, "death toll increases." Every time I see pictures of the huge boulders in the middle of the roads, I realize the difficulty first responders are experiencing. Any one of those boulders (weighing thousands of pounds and traveling downhill) is dangerous and unstable.....and still capable of causing severe injury, even if dislodged a few inches.
I have decided two words should NEVER be used in the same sentence: VOLUNTARY and EVACUATION. (Add it to the list of oxymoronic phrases....."slight danger"....) No matter the topography of an area, fires wiping out the vegetation and the onset of rains....who can possible pinpoint exactly what area will get the most concentrated rains in a 25 mile stretch of coastal low lands?? But as I type this, I realize it is done all the time in South Eastern coastal areas when hundreds of thousands of residents are warned to move out of the path of a hurricane. I guess all the years of living in beautiful California has insulated many of us from climate extremes and the unpredictable ravages of Mother Nature: Snow storms, hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes etc. that we see in other areas of the country. I am used to the earth quakes (we even have weekly seismic reports in our newspapers!) Even up to the hour reports, go figure.
http://scedc.caltech.edu/recent/)
But now, things have changed....a 10 year drought, wildfires fueled by dry vegetation and land that has become hydrophobic (repelling normal absorption) causing rain water to be filled with debris, ash and mud moving downhill at an increased velocity. (ie it is not "clear water" anymore....it is thick and at least 1/3 if it is ash, debris and mud.) Please note, I am far from an expert on this subject, but I took a lot of notes when the experts spoke at our city meeting. So just sharing what the hired consultants shared with us.
But, heard enough to make me very frightened by the impending rainfall. We (DH and I) made sure we were staying in an area that had "natural waterways" to handle flooding on either side of our current location.
I am thinking the area of Montecito that experienced the mudslide and flooding.....had never experienced such severe flooding in recorded history. Good night to all, just trying to make sense of so much sadness. Humbly, IQ.

Good Morning IQ. So glad to hear from you... still taking it in... I'm so sorry.

Sounds like you and your DH have your brights on, thank you for sharing this invaluable information and experience.

We're pulling for you and your neighbors and all affected.

((((((((((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))))))))))
:heartbeat:
​

:grouphug: I agree. It is good to remember that these extraordinary natural disasters can happen no matter where you live and no matter who you are. JMHO.

<snip>


https://www.express.co.uk/news/worl...y-missing-people-will-another-mudslide-happen

*This UK source wrongly identified Lydia's father Pinit as her mother. Her mother is still alive and it was her father who was just found deceased.

[commbined quotes]

http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/14/us/southern-california-mudslides/index.html

Ugh, CNN says Jack is still among the missing-- which now seems to be a list of those presumed dead.

Hoping for a miracle for all 4 people but praying they can at least be recovered swiftly and returned to their families.

The updates as the search goes on, the scenes of devastation seem almost biblical somehow. Floors me to see how people there are handling it and my heart goes out to them.