Massive mudslide prompts evacuations in Berkeley

Massive California mudslide prompts evacuations in Berkeley Hills

A mudslide in the Berkeley Hills prompted the evacuation of about ten homes. Emergency crews responded to the area of Middlefield Road, Wildcat Canyon Road and The Spiral at about 7 a.m. as mud and debris were shifting in the area. Residents were evacuated, and all three roads were closed due to the slide.

OAKLAND calif., - Weeks of heavy rain began to let up Monday, but the storms’ onslaught continued to wreak havoc around the East Bay.

It began around 4 a.m. in Livermore when a burst of rain drenched a neighborhood along Galloway Street, backing up clogged drains and creating a mini lake in the street.

Multiple homes suffered flood damage as some residents got on paddle boards to get around.

Gloria Fulfore watched in horror as the water seeped into her home covering the ground with 6 inches of brown liquid before it receded around noon.

"I just feel sick to my stomach right now," she told KTVU as she mopped up the mess, preparing to rip out the carpet and scrap any damaged belongings. "I’m thinking OK no flood insurance. I tried to get flood insurance several years ago, and they said you’re not in a flood zone. You don’t need it, and here we are."

Two houses down, Brandon Ta was cleaning out the inside of his Toyota SUV that filled with floodwaters. His home was spared, but he was waiting to see whether his vehicle would even start.

"I woke up today saw my car was flooded and kind of freaked out a bit," Ta said.

Closer to the Bay in the Berkeley hills, a mudslide spilled into homes on Middlefield and Wildcat Canyon roads around 7 a.m.

"We noticed the back door. It was unusually dark, we looked at the back door, and it was already about 4 feet of mud in the back door," said Marjorie Cruz, whose home was damaged by the slide.

Around 14 people were evacuated as firefighters and geologists surveyed the scene.

"At this time we evacuated homes that are a direct threat where earth is moving around them or in line with them," Berkeley Fire battalion chief Nate Girard said.

Further south, a massive mudslide spilled onto Alvarado road in the Claremont Hills.

And in Oakland, a hillside on St. Andrews Rd. north of the Oakland Zoo collapsed for the second time in as many weeks.

"We could hear the creaking of the tree like its cracking and then it just starts to slide," said Janet Dawkins, who live directly in front of the landslide. "We thought it was going to topple but it just slid straight down in the middle of the road."

Evan Sernoffsky is an investigative reporter for KTVU. Email Evan at evan.sernoffsky@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @EvanSernoffsky