In San Bernardino mountains, residents hit by devastating mudslide fear more to come
More residents of the San Bernardino Mountains region are at risk of becoming homeless after thousands of tons of mud and debris fell from a mountain.
People living in the area said the mudslide is a big problem.
“It scares me to death,” said Linda Denton, who is living next to the slide. “The mud runs right under my door and there’s a trail down to the beach.”
Denton was visiting the area with her family when the slide struck on Wednesday. She said the family had to stay in their room at the inn overnight.
“It’s just so horrible — it was scary,” she said. “The mud had gotten right on the roof and we were afraid that it would come in our room and go higher.”
In all, 10,000 cubic yards of mud and debris fell off the mountainside, displacing many people. The U.S. Forest Service says the mudslide has destroyed three homes. Officials say a fourth is likely to be demolished.
The landslide is the deadliest natural disaster in San Bernardino County history.
One woman died after a fire broke out inside her home after the slide.
Officials say it’s looking like there could still be more landslides in the area.
“What we’ve seen in the past is when you have an event that has such a devastating impact for so many people, it creates a sense of fear and anxiety, especially for the families that live in the area,” San Bernardino County Supervisor Don Knapp said. “And then we also have to look out for these other potential situations and when we see them we want to be prepared.”
Officials are asking residents and visitors to stay off the roads and avoid the area as much as possible.
“It’s pretty hazardous,” San Bernardino County Fire Department Battalion Chief Chris Corry said. “If you can avoid it, avoid the area. There’s certain dangers that you do have to take into account when it comes to mountain slides and that’s why our staff will be out there to make sure the proper safety measures are being taken.”
Officials say they’ll be keeping tabs on the weather in the area which could put more mudslides in the area, but residents said they’re