Ellen DeGeneres and Billy Baldwin have revealed the devastation caused by flooding near their homes in California.
DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, live in Montecito—an upscale town that is also home to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Aniston and other famous names.
The former talk-show host filmed herself in front of a raging river, posting the footage to Instagram and Twitter.
"Montecito is under mandatory evacuation," DeGeneres, 64, wrote in the caption. "We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone."
DeGeneres pointed out that a mudslide hit the same part of California in January 2018, killing 23 people.
"This is crazy on the five-year anniversary [of the mudslide] we are having unprecedented rain," she said, adding that "this creek next to our house never flows ever," but "it's probably about nine feet" high.
"We need to be nicer to Mother Nature because Mother Nature is not happy with us," the Finding Dory star said. "Let's all do our part."
The Montecito Fire Department tweeted last week: "It is normal to experience feelings of fear, anxiety & sadness as we approach the 5-year mark of the 1/9 Debris Flow, especially with the current weather conditions & evacuation order."
Baldwin and his wife, singer Chynna Phillips, live in nearby Santa Barbara. The 59-year-old actor posted a 23-second video of a fast-moving, muddy river on Twitter. "Santa Barbara right now," he wrote.
It is unclear if the DeGeneres and Baldwin homes have been damaged in the storms.
In July 2021, Phillips gave fans a virtual tour of her and her husband's California property. "The home reveal is finally here!!!!" she wrote underneath a YouTube video. "After months of renovating & decorating I am finally ready to walk you through our home. Come experience a little slice of paradise in beautiful Santa Barbara, CA!"
In the comments, fans gushed over the house, with one describing it as "cozy and relatable." Another wrote: "You two hit the jackpot with this beautiful home."
California officials said on Tuesday that at least 17 people had died in the storms. Governor Gavin Newsom added that the number was "likely to grow."
Storms have battered the state since late December, but Newsom warned that the bad weather was expected to persist until January 18.
"We're not out of the woods," he said. "We expect a minimum three more of these atmospheric rivers in different shapes and forms depending on different parts of the state."
According to the National Weather Service, rainfall totals throughout California have been 400-600 percent above average in recent weeks.
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Megan Cartwright is Newsweek's Deputy Entertainment Editor, based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. pop culture and entertainment ... Read more