Host Ellen DeGeneres shares video of raging floods next to home as California battles storms

MONTECITO – Actress-host Ellen DeGeneres has shared a video of the raging creek next to her home in the affluent town of Montecito, California, where powerful storms have been wreaking havoc in recent days.

In the video, which the 64-year-old shared on Instagram and Twitter on Monday, she is seen standing next to fast-flowing floodwaters.

Speaking over the roar of the waters, she said the creek next to the house she shares with her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, usually never flows, but the water level was already at almost 3m.

“Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone,” she wrote in her caption.

The viral clip has been viewed more than 1.8 million times on Twitter in less than a day.

The affluent town of about 8,200 inhabitants is also home to host Oprah Winfrey, singer Ariana Grande, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

It was hit by mudslides on Jan 9, 2018, and house-sized boulders had fallen and destroyed more than 100 homes and ruptured a gas main, which led to fires.

“This is the five-year anniversary from the fire and mudslides that killed and people lost their homes, their lives,” she said of the tragedy which claimed 23 lives. “This is crazy. On the five-year anniversary, we’re having unprecedented rain.”

After years of drought,

California is being pummelled by floods as storms roll in off the Pacific,

killing at least 16 people.

On Monday, Montecito residents were told by state officials in a tweet to “leave now”, while shelter-in-place orders were issued in other parts of the county. Several other towns in the state advised residents to get out before more rivers flood.

“Mother Nature is not happy with us,” said DeGeneres. “Let’s all do our part.”