Vancouver Island Free Daily from Parksville, British Columbia, Canada • A9

Vancouver Island Free Daily Thursday, January 11, 2018 Page A9www.vancouverislandfreedaily.com PICK US UP! Enter our contests, read the digital edition or download the app at: www.ViFreeDaily.com IN PARKSVILLE QUALICUM BEACH A AIOLI BAILEYS BAYSIDE BEACH CLUB BOSTON PIZZA BISTRO CENTRAL BUILDERS CHA CHA JAVA CITY OF PARKSVILLE COCKNEY PRIDE COOMBS GENERAL STORE COURTYARD CAFE COYOTES COFFEE CREEKMORES DAIRY QUEEN DEEZ EAGLECREST GOLF CLUB EAT FRESH URBAN MARKET ERRINGTON STORE FAIRWINDS CENTRE FRENCH CREEK MARINE PUB HOME HARDWARE HUSKY KIMS CORNER STORE LEFTYS LOG CABIN STORE MCDONALDS MID ISLAND CO-OP MORNINGSTAR GOLF CLUB MUNCHY BUSINESS PACIFIC BRIM PANAGO PARADISE FUN PARKS PARKSVILLE COMM CENTRE PARKSVILLE TOURIST BUREAU PETRO-CAN NANOOSE PHARMASAVE PIZZA HUT QB VISITORS CENTRE QUALICUM BAKERY QUALITY FOODS SAVE ON FOODS SERIOUS COFFEE PLACE SHOPPERS DRUG MART STARBUCKS SUBWAY THRIFTYS TIGH NA MARA TIM HORTONS WHISKEY CREEK CO-OP STORE IN LADYSMITH A TIM BEAN TIME NANAIMO AIRPORT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OLD TIME BAKERY WILD POPPY CAFE WILLOW STREET CAFE UTOPIA BAKERY FOX HOUND COUNTRY KITCHEN CHRONICLE OFFICE DAIRY QUEEN LADYSMITH KFC LADYSMITH WIGWAM RESTAURANT SUBWAY LADYSMITH BIG TIRE 49TH PARALLEL GROCERY SAVE ON GAS BEST WESTERN CHEMAINUS 49TH PARALLEL CHEMAINUS TIRE 1ST AVE BARBER MCBRIDES AUTO SUBWAY CASSIDY TEMPO LADYSMITH CREEKS CORNER STORE IN PORT ALBERNI VISITOR INFO CENTRE RESTAURANT STARBUCKS SHELL MCDONALDS CO-OP TIM HORTONS 7 11 A-1 ESSO SERIOUS COFFEE SHOPPERS DRUG MART SAVE ON FOODS BARCLAY ARLINGTON PETRO CAN COOP BEAVER CREEK QUALITY FOODS SMITTYS DAIRY QUEEN ALBERNI NEWS OFFICE JAX STORE CHEVERON PANTRY NO FRILLS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MONTECITO The death toll from the mudslides that struck Southern California climbed to 15 on Wednesday, with 24 people unaccounted for, as rescue crews searched for anyone trapped, injured or dead in the onslaught that smashed homes and swept away cars. The drenching rainstorm that triggered the disaster early Tuesday had cleared out and was no longer a hindrance as searchers made their way across a landscape strewn with boulders and covered shoul- der-high in places with mud the consistency of wet cement. Fifteen people were con- firmed dead and two dozen people remained missing Wednesday, said Amber An- derson, a Santa Barbara Coun- ty spokeswoman. have no idea where at. We think somewhere in the debris she said.

Damage spread over 30 square miles, she said. now our assets are focused on determining if any- one is still alive in any of those structures that have been dam- Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. He said that several dozen homes were destroyed or se- verely damaged, and that there are probably many more in similar condition in areas still inaccessible. At least 25 people were in- jured, 50 or more had to be rescued by helicopters, author- ities said. Four of the injured were reported in severely crit- ical condition.

The search was set to expand with the arrival of a major search-and-rescue team from nearby Los Angeles County and help from the Coast Guard and the National Guard. A storm-related death was also reported in Northern Cal- ifornia, where a man was killed when his car was apparently struck by falling rocks in a landslide Tuesday evening in Napa County. Most of the Southern Cali- fornia deaths occurred in and around Montecito, a wealthy enclave of about 9,000 people northwest of Los Angeles that is home to such celebrities as Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe and Ellen DeGeneres. home survived the mudslides. In an Instagram post on the same day many Democrats were talking about her for president because of her rousing speech at the Golden Globes, she shared photos of the deep mud in her backyard and video of rescue helicopters hovering over her house.

a Winfrey said. for our community again in Santa A mud-caked 14-year-old girl was among the dozens rescued on the ground Tuesday. She was pulled from a collapsed Montecito home where she had been trapped for hours. thought I was dead for a minute the dazed girl could be heard saying on video posted by KNBC-TV before she was taken away on a stretcher. The mud was unleashed in the dead of night by flash flooding in the steep Santa Ynez Mountains, where hill- sides were stripped of vegeta- tion last month by the biggest wildfire on record in Califor- nia, a 440-square-mile blaze that destroyed 1,063 homes and other structures.

Burned-over zones are espe- cially susceptible to destructive mudslides because scorched earth absorb water well and the land is easily eroded when there are no shrubs. The torrent arrived sud- denly and with a thunderous sound. Death toll hits 15 in California mudslides; 24 still missing U.S. NEWS SHORTS WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump is welcoming the prime minister of Nor- way to the White House. Trump was sitting down with Prime Minister Erna Solberg for meetings on Wednesday.

Sol- berg is the first foreign leader to visit Trump in 2018. The White House says the leaders plan to discuss relations between the two countries as well as how to make progress on regional and global security issues and economic prosperity. They also will talk about defence and security goals within NATO and the coalition aligned against the Islamic State group, along with trade matters. Solberg has said put climate and world on the agenda in the bilateral talks. Trump and Solberg were holding private meet- ings during the visit and participating in a joint news conference.

WEST MONROE, La. (AP) A woman was attacked and killed by a pit bull at a pet boarding facility in Louisiana. A spokesman for the Ouachita (WAH-shih- taw) Parish Sheriff Office says the incident happened about 11 p.m. Tuesday at the Happy Hounds Hotel in West Monroe. Glenn Spring- field says deputies dispatched found a severely injured woman who later died from her wounds.

On Wednesday, Springfield confirmed reports by multiple news outlets identifying the victim as Laura Williams Ray, of West Monroe. Spring- field says he know whether the woman worked for the business or if she was visiting an animal being housed there. A message left at the business Wednesday immediately returned. The dog was released to Ouachita Parish Animal Control. Springfield know the status.

The investigation is continuing. TRUMP WELCOMES PRIME MINISTER TO WHITE HOUSE WOMAN DIES AFTER BEING ATTACKED BY PIT BULL THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Debris and mud cover the entrance of the Montecito Inn after heavy rain brought flash flooding and mudslides to the area in Montecito, Calif. on Tuesday..