The dramatic video of Ellen Degeneres in the midst of the rains and floods that have already left 14 dead in California

Actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres posted a selfie video on Monday standing in the rain next to a strong torrent of water and mud flowing through what she described as a normally dry creek bed near her property in Montecito, California.

The artist, dressed in a hooded jacket, tweeted that he had been advised to “shelter in place” rather than evacuatesince his house was on higher ground.

“We need to be kinder to Mother Nature, because Mother Nature is not happy with us,” he said in the video. “Let’s do our part. Stay safe, everyone.”

The National Weather Service said the rain is expected to continue through Tuesday after dumping up to 35.5 centimeters (14 inches) in higher areas of central and southern California. After a brief respite, another storm is expected to hit the state in a few days, potentially adding to the problems and further saturating already-threatened areas with flooding and debris flows.

“Additional heavy rains on Tuesday will exacerbate ongoing flooding and continue the risk of flash floods and landslides, especially in regions with recent fires,” the weather service said.

Forecasters also warned that California could record wind gusts of 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour at the height of the storm, and some areas could receive rainfall of half an inch (12.7 millimeters) per hour.

California state highway authorities said late Monday that parts of the state and federal highway network were shut down by flooding, rock or mudslides, heavy snowfall, or damaged cars and trucks. The closures included the northbound lanes of Federal Highway 101, a crucial coastal route, and sections of Federal Route 6 and State Route 168.

The latest in a series of Pacific storms blamed for at least 14 deaths battered California on Monday, prompting the evacuation of about 25,000 peopleincluding the entire city of Montecito and nearby areas of the Santa Barbara coast, due to increased risks of flooding and landslides.

The Montecito evacuation zone is among 17 California regions where authorities fear a series of torrential downpours since late December could unleash deadly cascades of mud, rocks and other debris on hillsides stripped of vegetation by previous wildfires.

The mandatory evacuations came five years after mudslides triggered by heavy rains battered the recently burned-out hillsides and canyons around Montecito, a prosperous coastal enclave 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles, causing widespread damage. and killing more than 20 people in January 2018.

(With information from Reuters and AP)

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