Two Thais confirmed dead in southern California mudslides

[webfact]

Two Thais confirmed dead in southern California mudslides

By The Nation

 

Photo from Pinit's Facebook shows Pinit, his son Peerawat and Lydia.

 

The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office in California has confirmed the death of a Thai man, identified as Pinit Sutthithepa, 30, who was killed in a deadly mudslide in the southern California town of Montecito.
 

Pinit was the second Thai national confirmed to have died in the mudslide after the body of his six-year-old son, Peerawat Sutthithepa, was found last week. The Sheriff's Office on Monday raised the total number of fatalities to 20.

 

The local online news agency Edhat reported that Pinit's body had been found in the area of Hot Springs Road near Olive Mill Road during search and recovery efforts on Sunday. His two-year-old daughter Lydia is still missing.

 

Pinit's stepfather, Richard Loring Taylor, 79, was also killed in the fatal mudslide.

 

Edhat reported that Peerawat, who was affectionately known as "Pasta", was at home with his step-grandfather Taylor, his father Pinit and sister Lydia when the mudslide hit their East Valley Road home. Pinit's wife and grandmother were working outside of the house when the mudslide hit and are safe. 

 

A GoFundMe account has been created for the family.

 

The news agency Agence France-Presse reported that search and rescue teams were continuing to comb the area in the aftermath of the deadly mudslide.

 

Four people remained missing, according to an update posted on Santa Barbara County's website, which warned that the figure could "fluctuate significantly".

 

"The unstable environment remains a critical threat to civilians and responders. The large amounts of mud and debris are making access and progress challenging," the joint statement from several state and local agencies said.

 

"Search and rescue remains the highest priority."

 

The slide left 28 people injured and destroyed 65 homes and eight businesses in Montecito, a town east of the city of Santa Barbara. Many more buildings were damaged or threatened.

 

Heavy rain on Tuesday, which followed 10 months of drought, sent rivers of mud and debris flowing down the hills into Montecito.

 

Massive wildfires in the area forced evacuations in December, and the mudslides struck just two weeks after people returned.

 

The fires burned most vegetation, creating hazardous conditions for the latest disaster to unfold.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30336290

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-15

[Grumpy Duck]

Sorry for the losses, this is an annual event in portions of California, fire season followed by heavy rains causing mudslides. How can homes and lives be protected from this?

 

may the dead rest in peace

[webfact]

Body of Thai man went missing in a mudslide in LA found

By Thai PBS

 

 

Rescue workers in Los Angeles have found the body of a Thai man went missing with his two children after mudslide struck the house where his family was living with his American step father on Jan 9.

 

Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Busadee Santipitaks told the media on Tuesday (Jan 16) that the Thai consular-general’s office in Los Angeles reported that it was notified by the rescue workers the body of Pinit Sutthithepa, 30, had been recovered but his two-year-old daughter, Lydia, was still missing.

 

CNN quoted Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office as saying that Pinit’s body was found in the area of Hot Springs Road near Olive Mill Road during search and recovery efforts.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/body-thai-man-went-missing-mudslide-la-found/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-01-17

[IAMHERE]

Great, now they don't have to organize a Thai group to go get the body like they did with the couple that drove off the highway.