Heavy rain, mudslides in Northern California wash away homes
LOS ANGELES -- Relentless rain turned a mountain into mud, pushing an entire home south of San Francisco into the street.
Homeowner John Futscher got out moments before it was too late.
“Mud started coming through the kitchen window and that’s when my wife, and my son and dog ran out of the house,” he said.
Thirty-seven schools in Marin County were forced to close, with rain filling up creeks and spilling into streets.
“We have a lot of residents that are still in their residence and not able to get out,” said fire battalion chief Bret McTigue.
The continuous rain has pulled much of Northern California out of the drought, but NASA climatologist Bill Patzert says the rest of the West still has a long way to go.
“It took us many years -- almost decades -- to get into this punishing drought. There is no quick fix. It will take us years to decades to be totally out of the drought,” he said.
Parts of California are still expecting up to another seven inches of rain, but even with that in mind, the California State Water Board is asking to extend the current water restrictions because of the drought.