Copyright 2018 NPR. To see more, visit KELLY MCEVERS, HOST: First there were the fires. Then there were the floods. And now a massive rescue operation is underway along the southern California coast. Mudslides and flows of debris brought by the region's first winter storm have stranded hundreds of people in Santa Barbara County. Seventeen people are confirmed dead. More than a dozen are still missing. NPR's Nathan Rott has the latest. NATHAN ROTT, BYLINE: Rescue operations, including helicopter airlifts, began the day under blue skies in Santa Barbara County just a day after rain poured from gray skies at an unprecedented rate for the area according to the National Weather Service. One rain gauge recorded almost an inch in less than 15 minutes. That water slicked off of fire-charred hillsides, downed blackened canyons, swelling rivers and creeks, flooding neighborhoods, roadways and homes. Residents in Montecito woke to crashing noises and knee-deep muck, posting videos on social media
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