Ellen DeGeneres shares footage of raging torrent as storm hits star-studded Montecito: ‘This is crazy’

‘We need to be nicer to mother nature,’ TV host warns

Ellen DeGeneres shared an alarming video from her Montecito home on Monday (9 January) as intense flooding hit the celebrity-filled area.

Residents of the city, which is home to stars including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, were placed under an evacuation order as more heavy weather was due through Monday evening.

Sharing a selfie video on Instagram, DeGeneres showed followers a creek next to her house, which normally “never flows, ever” but in the clip was a raging brown torrent of water. “It’s probably about nine feet [high],” the TV host remarked.

“We need to be nicer to mother nature,” DeGeneres warned, “because mother nature is not happy with us.”

In the caption to her post, DeGeneres explained that while Montecito is under mandatory evacuation, she had been advised to “shelter in place” as their house was on higher ground.

The star also noted that the storm fell on the five-year anniversary of the 2018 mudslides that hit Montecito, killing 23 people and destroying many homes.

Santa Barbara emergency officials have issued a shelter in place warning for those not already evacuated, advising them to go to innermost room or high ground.

More severe weather is forecast for California this week after days of heavy rain, snow and damaging winds, raising the potential for flooding, rising rivers and mudslides on already saturated soils.

Follow live updates from the California storms and flooding here.