Rapper Soulja Boy was trapped by mudslides after a powerful storm washed out a busy portion of the Pacific Coast Highway, telling fans that he was nearly swept into the ocean.
As ABC News noted, the rapper took to Twitter on Saturday to tell fans that he was affected by the mudslides that struck portions of Southern California. After heavy rain swept through the Los Angeles area, several hillsides that had been burned during the Woolsey Fires were washed away, with some blocking the Pacific Coast Highway.
Soulja Boy told fans that he was “involved in a very bad car accident,” saying that his car was still stuck in the middle of the mudslide and flood that struck the road. It was not clear if the rapper was injured, but the post seemed to show that he was shaken by the incident.
There had already been warnings that California could face dangerous mudslides after the fires that destroyed much of the landscape there. As the Verge reported late last year, slopes that had been burned by the wildfires were susceptible to something called debris flows, which are landslides that form when rushing water picks up remnants of burned homes, trees, and other debris.
The report warned that these could strike quickly, making it important for residents to listen closely to emergency announcements and take heed of warnings.
Disaster researcher Mika McKinnon told the outlet that these debris flows could be particularly fast and dangerous.
“The water will flow into valleys, and ravines, and gullies; all of those places are going to be more likely to have landslides,” she said.
“If you’ve got all that water washing [away] debris, tree branches, boulders, and ash, sooner or later, it’s not just water — it’s now a debris flow, a very fluid landslide that’s a mixture of water and debris. They’re very, very fast moving.”
Soulja Boy’s car among those trapped by California mudslide https://t.co/dVPrY1XRjx
— CTV News (@CTVNews) January 6, 2019
The mudslide this week in Southern California also struck quickly after heavy and fast-moving rains. A number of cars were trapped in the mudslide, prompting officials to shut down the highway. As NBC Los Angeles reported, some portions of the highway were expected to remain closed until at least Monday.
Officials have also warned that there could be more mudslides on the way as other winter storms hit areas that had been charred by last year’s wildfires.
Soulja Boy said he didn’t care much about the car he lost in the mudslide, noting that he was just happy to be alive.