Mudslides engulf California homes: Crews rescue people trapped by swollen rivers

Los Angeles (CNN) - Torrential rains moved walls of rock and mud Friday in Southern California, burying homes in one neighborhood, closing a coastal highway and prompting evacuations of foothill communities imperiled by landslides.

The damage marked the second day of a fierce storm slamming the Pacific Coast that, in California, served to trade one natural disaster for another, namely the state's record drought of the past three years.

At a minimum, the biggest storm in years slaked the dry earth, but it is coming at a high price for many people.

Mudslides swarmed or threatened homes near recent hillside fires.

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