MONTECITO, CA – As the risk of autumn rains in Santa Barbara County threaten mudslides, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been warned about environmental risks on their mega-mansion where they now live with their two children.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spent the best of two years since they stopped working as royal family members in March 2020 in the nine-bedroom California mansion with Prince Archie, two, and Princess Lilibet, one. They are both said to desire Financial freedom and moved with their two children to live a more normal lifestyle in the United States.
Extreme conditions in Montecito
Despite the value of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Californian property increasing from around 11 million ($14.6million) when they bought it in 2020 to near 22 million ($28million) today, weather issues are likely to cause a major disruption.
Local climate scientists suggest that this autumn and winter’s predicted storms will cause extreme rainfall in the area and a risk of debris flows to the steep coastal hillides of Montecito.
The area has previously suffered from natural disaster:
January 2018 Debris Flows. Heavy rain following the massive Thomas Fire caused deadly mudflows across Montecito after causing 23 deaths, over 160 injuries and millions of dollars in damages to structures in the wealthy Californian enclave.
Slope Instability. Fires often destroy deep root systems of trees, leaving high-elevation slopes unstable when winter rains are brought about by seasonal weather.
Evacuation Difficulties. Residents who stayed behind in the zone during last years debris flows, despite having warning and orders of mandatory evacuations were reportedly labelled “evacuation fatigue” by emergency personnel working in the area.
Original Developer’s Thoughts on the Matter
The original developer of the Duke and Duchess’s large estate Mr Terry Cunningham, admits environmental risks such as catastrophe mudflows were not a factor that was high in peoples minds when construction was taking place.
‘We certainly would not have been thinking about it when we was building but it is certainly something I would be thinking about now’ stated Mr Cunningham.
Even with these environmental concerns, Montecito remains one of the most desirable destinations in southern California where highly publicised figures go to escape the metropolises of the Californian state.
