Flooding is preventing some California homes from reaching them.


More than 25 million people in California were at risk of flooding this weekend as a new wave of devastating storms battered the state.


The flooding began after water levels in several of the state's rivers rose and killed at least 19 people, as authorities ordered thousands of residents to evacuate their homes.


Residents of the town of Montecito, 135 kilometers from Los Angeles, said the rain had exacerbated the crisis they faced due to the storm.


The landslides killed 23 people in 2018 and are expected to repeat this year.


Rita Bourbon credits its survival to the Italian architect who built the house more than a century ago, saying it looks like a castle.


Rita survived a similar storm five years ago when she, her daughter and some friends screamed when they entered their home and heard the foundations of other homes being shaken off.


Hurricane-triggered landslides destroy roads in California.


The next day, a coastal community near Los Angeles was devastated, killing about 20 people, including neighbors who Rita found in mud in their gardens.


Last week, the Montecito River began to rise violently again, prompting firefighters to issue an "immediate evacuation order" for all residents in the area, as Californians including Oprah Winfrey, Harry and Meghan Markle and several celebrities affected. Home


Although the evacuation order for Montecito has been lifted, residents fear that much of the area will be inundated, putting the area at risk of more damaging flooding and landslides.


Abe-Paul founded the Santa Barbara Humane Society in 2018 to encourage volunteers to clean up landslide disasters.


This week, Paul led volunteers across the area, shoveling sand and digging trenches. Abhi took us on a treacherous ride up a narrow mountain road where rocks and mud blocked access to some houses.


"We don't want to linger here too long," he said, looking at some of the stones between the buildings.