EXPLAINER: Tackling threat of mudslides in soaked California

By JULIE WATSON and DOUG GLASS
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The record rainfall in California has soaked its steep hillsides, causing hundreds of landslides and heightening the threat to communities. So far the state has not seen another tragedy like the one in 2018 when mudslides roared through Montecito, killing 23 people and wiping out 130 homes. But the risk has been exacerbated with hillsides left barren by wildfires and drought making the land unable to absorb so much water. With climate change predicted to produce more severe weather, officials are scrambling to put in basins, nets and improve predictions of where landslides might occur to keep homes and people safe.