Ellen DeGeneres Unable To Evacuate, Forced To Shelter In Place As Raging Flash Floods Decimate Los Angeles

While unprecedented rainfall and flooding hit Santa Barbara County, many residents are being told to evacuate the area; however, one famous face is staying put. Ellen DeGeneres, who owns a home in Montecito, is giving her fans a close-up look at how the storm is wreaking havoc.

Sharing a video on Twitter yesterday (Jan. 9) around 3:30 p.m. PT, the talk show host wrote, “Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone.”

The video shows DeGeneres in a gray rain jacket, worn over a gray hoodie, standing near a rising stream of water. “This stream next to our house never flows, ever. It’s probably about nine feet up. It could go another two feet up. We have horses ready to evacuate,” she says in the clip.

The former talk show host continues to tell watchers to be “nicer to Mother Nature because Mother Nature is not happy.”

DeGeneres then pans her camera around the raging storm before saying, “yikes.”

At the top of the video, the Montecito resident references to the deadly mudslides that struck the city on the same date in 2018, leaving 23 people dead and roughly 500 structures damaged or destroyed.

“This is crazy, on the five year anniversary. We’re having unprecedented rain,” DeGeneres says.

Fans were quick to share their best wishes for the entertainment personality, with many expressing concern for her safety. “Don’t stand so close to that rushing water. That bank could wash away in a split second. Stay safe,” wrote one concerned Twitter user.

“Please be careful & safe Ellen. Even though they said for you & your family to shelter in place, how do they know if they flowing of that water isn’t causing what’s under where you’re standing to soften up. Please post later so that we know you’re all okay,” tweeted another.

One told DeGeneres to “load up the private jet and get out of there.”

Shortly before DeGeneres posted the video, the local fire department called for all citizens to evacuate. They wrote on Twitter, “Immediate Evacuation Order for all of Montecito, parts of Carpinteria, Summerland & City of Santa Barbara. LEAVE NOW!”

People in the comments told the department that their website server is down, likely due to a surge of activity from those in the storm.