Ellen, Oprah show thanks to responders after Montecito mudslides
As recovery efforts continue in Montecito, its celebrity residents continue to publicly express their gratitude to the agencies and first responders working around the clock to get the area back on track.
When Highway 101 opened Sunday— a day ahead of schedule — Oprah tweeted a before-and-after picture of the highway with the caption: “Look at what team work did for the 101freeway. Thanks @CaltransD5 and every crew that made this happen.”
Look at what team work did for the 101freeway. Thanks @CaltransD5 and every crew that made this happen. pic.twitter.com/238jhC9hvD
— Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) January 22, 2018
Caltrans responded to her, saying in part: “You’re welcome, it was truly a team effort,” and wishing her and the community the best of luck in rebuilding.
Ellen DeGeneres also expressed thanks. The Santa Barbara division of the California Highway Patrol tweeted a photo of the daytime talk show host with a CHP officer on Monday morning. DeGeneres had stopped at one of the road closures in Montecito to thank an officer working the closure for their help.
#EllenDeGeneres stopped to thank one of our officers working a road closure around the #Montecito area. She related that she appreciates what law enforcement has done to help with the #MontecitoMudslide. #EllenDeGeneres thank you for your support. @CHP_HQ @CHP_Coastal @KEYTNC3 pic.twitter.com/EnxDqLJUGP
— Santa Barbara CHP (@CHP_SantaBarb) January 22, 2018
DeGeneres had previously shared her own emotional story about the devastation on her NBC daytime TV show a few days after the mudslides, where she was joined via FaceTime by Oprah.
This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 12:10 PM with the headline "Ellen, Oprah show thanks to responders after Montecito mudslides."