Member-only story
The Town That Was Swallowed by a Mountain
In January 2005, Southern California was hit by fifteen straight days of rain. In the small town of La Conchita, just south of Santa Barbara, the 250 or so residents were nervous. The town is perched between the steep cliffs of Rincon Mountain and the Pacific Ocean. Ten years earlier, rains caused landslides that destroyed or damaged two dozen homes. No one was hurt but locals understood it was only a matter of time before it happened again.
On Monday, January 10th, carpenter Jimmie Wallet walked to the only store in town to get ice cream for his kids. The sun was peeking through the clouds offering hope for better weather. But there were no seagulls, which typically meant more rain. As Jimmie arrived at the store, he saw it was closed. That’s when he noticed Highway 101, the only outlet to and from La Conchita, was also closed. The road was covered in four feet of mud and dozens of vehicles were trapped. Jimmie watched as the Ventura Fire Department extricated drivers from their cars. He lit a cigarette and conversed with neighbors.
At 1:22 p.m., Jimmie heard a pop followed by a loud roar. He turned in time to see the mountain collapse behind him. A massive river of mud and rocks flowed toward town. Power lines toppled. Cars were tossed in the air. In just eight seconds, the houses at the base of the hill disappeared underneath the brown slush.
