HELIOLITH

More than fifteen houses were crushed or destroyed in nearby La Conchita today as a mudslide overtook a large section of the small town. Two Three people are confirmed dead, and at least 6 others are believed to be trapped in their homes beneath the mud. According to a just published AP story, the number of unaccounted for persons has risen to 21. More rain is falling outside right now, and more is scheduled to fall tonight. My brother and sister (in law) lost their home (and nearly their lives) to the slide. It was the last along 2 blocks of houses that were crushed within moments of the hillside giving way. They escaped after the slide pushed their house off its foundation, cracked its frame, and overtook half of their living room. All of the houses uphill of them were crushed and overrun with mud, water, and debris. One of their best friends from next door (the house one address closer to the cliff) was ejected through his roof onto their carport, and was released from the hospital, but his girlfriend (who was also in the house at the time) is still among the missing. I’m not overly religious but find my mind whispering prayers for her safety over and over again, in spite of the terrible odds against her.

The loss of property is of course extremely unsettling, and alone would be cause for disappointment. Yet the knowledge that life was lost, and the uncertainty of people and friends of my loved ones is beyond my ability to articulate. Our family is incredibly grateful for the survival of our kin, while still a part of me rages against the loss of any life. After recently reading Robert’s post on randomness, fate, and misfortune, I have been contemplating disasters and the meaning we experience because of them. He makes some excellent points about misfortune and disaster, with regard to an accident his brother was involved in recently and the death and suffering created by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Natural disaster won’t ever go away and will continue to pose a threat to human life, whereas at least we can hope for an end to war. I give thanks for the grace to be alive, and not to be experiencing losses in my family. It only makes me more keenly aware that at any moment, everything that we are attached so deeply to could be gone.

I barely made it to work myself this morning– I live just a few exits north of there, though not in the shadow of any large bluffs– and called my brother while I was sitting at a standstill in northbound traffic. I had to traverse several small freeway-floods to make it but my brother stayed home since the southbound freeway was already being shut down (we commute in opposite directions). Evacuations were already in progress when the hill came down, although last I heard some people are still refusing to leave. It seems that most people living in L.C. believed that another landslide was inevitable at some point, but few thought it would be this bad. If you don’t know what L.C. looked like before the slide, see this USGS image of the hill taken after the mudslide in the Spring of 1995 (no one was killed or injured in that incident). This is also pretty much what it looked like yesterday. Today it’s much different.

You can read the basic AP storyline here.

The hillside in La Conchita cascaded down like a brown river as authorities were evacuating about 200 residents from the area. Trees and vegetation were carried away, leaving huge gashes of raw earth on the bluff. Some residents made their way from the area clutching pets, luggage or clothing as the huge mass of mud bore down. Some huddled together or cried as they talked on cell phones. Fifteen to 20 houses were hit by the slide. “You could hear people screaming and crying out, people honking their horns you know from on the highway and everybody looking up and running as fast as they can to get out,” said Kathleen Wood, a resident of La Conchita.

Here is a short AP Video of the hill coming down, and here is an aerial survey video of the current damage via the Ventura County Star. The blue house I spoke of in the first paragraph is clearly visible in the lower right hand corner of the frame at :34 seconds during this second clip. You can read the LA Times story here and CNN’s story here KCAL television has a pretty long video/report and although they loop the footage several times during the presentation, they show more than I’ve seen anywhere else (I don’t have television). You can find it by looking for the video link on their main site here. (video wouldn’t load with firefox, prefers IE6)

It’s hard not to experience the sensation that everything is falling apart sometimes, even when one is only very peripherally affected by tradgedy.

Update 1/11/05 4:48p.m. Associated Press updates the story here. The toll of fatalities has risen to 4. It’s amazing how painstakingly slow search and rescue is, even with lots of people working very hard. It’s inconceivable to me the grief and uncertainty people are experiencing as they dig for buried loved ones. Many of those close to me is on edge waiting for news of the missing; there can’t be real closure until everyone is accounted for. (link to updated entry here)