SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - In the days before mudslides devastated California neighborhoods, officials released conflicting evacuation orders that left some hard-hit neighborhoods out of the warning zone, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The county issued both mandatory and voluntary evacuation warnings 30 hours before the storm through an alerting system, county spokeswoman Gina DePinto said in a statement. Officials emphasized that all those who died were in a voluntary or mandatory evacuation zone and that the warnings probably saved more lives. Jerry Brown declared Monday a "Day of Remembrance of the Montecito Mudslides" and ordered flags flown at half-staff over the state Capitol. Meanwhile, the state senator representing Montecito introduced legislation Tuesday that seeks to ensure that insurance companies cover damages from the mudslide.

Source: Daily Mail January 23, 2018 21:25 UTC