Katy Perry has thanked fans for their concerns about her loved ones in Santa Barbara, California as residents battle deadly mudslides and flooding following heavy rains.
The coastal county has been hit by more natural disaster just weeks after the devastating Thomas Fire led to local evacuations, damage and heartache, as more than 20,000 residents have been uprooted by winter storms.
Oprah Winfrey posted a video of the devastation caused to her neighbourhood in Montecito on Instagram on Tuesday (09Jan18), revealing that although her property was safe, much of her backyard had been flooded with mud, while some of her neighbours had to be rescued via helicopter.
On Wednesday (10Jan18), Katy took to her Instagram Story timeline to assure fans her estate in the area, and that of her parents, were both currently out of harm's reach, but she is thankful for their continued prayers for her hometown.
"The past 48 hours has (sic) been incredibly devastating for my hometown of Santa Barbara & Montecito with insane mudslides wiping out homes and taking over 15 people's lives with 25 still missing," she wrote. "This is a small community that has just gone through #thomasfire devastation."
"My house and my parents' house are ok (sic) but are in walking distance of the area affected...," she continued. "Montecito is my sanctuary and where I have made my past couple of records... I know #805 (Santa Barbara area code) STRONG will survive but we appreciate your prayers and when I know information on how you can help I will post (sic)."
Unlike Katy and her family, comedienne and U.S. talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi were among those in a mandatory evacuation zone, and had to vacate their property on Sunday (07Jan18), weeks after facing the threat of losing their home to the wildfires.
Speaking during a pre-taped episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, set to air on Thursday (11Jan18), she explained, "We were just able to get back into our house December 27th, and... Sunday night, Portia and I got a call that we were under mandatory evacuation again... so again we evacuated because they (authorities) feared mudslides..."
"You hear the word mudslide and you have no idea the impact that it has," she added, "but after the largest fire in the history of California, it's catastrophic; it is beyond recognisable."
Ellen also contacted her neighbour Oprah to get an update from her pal, who has also vowed to help in the recovery process.
"I feel safe. I feel really safe," shared the TV mogul, who has no running water or gas. "I am blessed, and I am going to do whatever I can for the rest of the community."
Oprah also gave a special shout out to all the first responders: "We all just love the firefighters. Every time I see them, I go, 'You guys were so great during the Thomas Fire' and still at it."
