MONTECITO, Calif. — The death toll from the mudslides in a California coastal town rose to 19 on Saturday but a man who had also been on the list of missing persons was located alive, authorities said.
The body of Morgan Christine Corey, 25, was found in mud and debris in Montecito, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. Her 12-year-old sister, Sawyer, had been found dead earlier.
“We ask that you keep this devastated family in your thoughts and prayers,” Brown said.
Another person who had been on the list of missing, 62-year-old Delbert Weltzin, was found alive and well, Brown said without elaborating on the circumstances.
The two developments reduced the number of missing from seven to five.
“While every hour it remains less likely that we will find anyone alive, there is always hope,” the sheriff said.
The army of searchers and recovery workers in Montecito swelled to more than 2,000 five days after a powerful storm swept in from the Pacific and dumped a deluge on mountain slopes above the coastal enclave that were burned bare by a huge wildfire in December.
The backbreaking work went on in the summerlike weather that has made the stretch of Santa Barbara County coast about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles a haven for the wealthy, celebrities and tourists.
“We have to do whatever it takes,” said Capt. Tom Henzgen, leader of a team from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Long-range forecasts gave the crews about a week before the next chance of rain — and potential new mudslides — although the precipitation was expected to be disorganized and light. Another system was possible two days later.
Crews worked throughout the day Saturday to clear debris basins and officials said there was still a lot more work to be done. But Tom Fayram, the deputy director of the county’s flood control district, said the crews were making great progress and he was confident that at least a base level of water would be able to pass through the creek channels.
Much of the community of about 9,000 remained under mandatory evacuation orders, even unscathed areas, as crews both removed debris and worked to restore water, sanitation, power and gas. All warnings and orders for neighboring Summerland and Carpinteria were lifted.
Brown urged anyone in mandatory evacuation areas to leave immediately.
Tanker trucks sucked muddy water from flooded sections of U.S. 101, the only direct major artery between Los Angeles and the Santa Barbara region.
The California Department of Transportation abandoned an estimate of reopening the highway on Monday and said it was not known when the closure would be lifted.
Amtrak, which began restoring rail service two days after the flood, was adding cars to trains because of heavy demand. Two boat companies that normally take tourists out to Channel Islands National Park and on whale-watching excursions were ferrying people between the Ventura and Santa Barbara harbors.
Santa Barbara County said authorities were testing the ocean waters. Down the coast in Ventura County, environmental health officials warned that storm runoff can carry disease-causing bacteria and warned the public to avoid contact with ocean water until tests are reviewed next week.
In the disaster zone, searchers used chain saws and rakes to remove logs and sift through the remnants of what was left of multimillion-dollar homes. Crews with backhoes and jackhammers pulverized boulders that were left when the torrents stopped.
Orange markings left on doors indicated which homes had already been searched.
Rescuers said they would search every piece of debris and pile of dirt to look for the missing.
“We’re going to tear them apart piece by piece and search each pile thoroughly and make sure there’s nobody in there,” Henzgen said.
