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Rainfall totals on Tuesday afternoon ranged from 3 to 5 inches in the mountains in Ventura County and 2 to 3 inches in the mountains of Santa Barbara County.

Rainfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour at times contributed to the damaging mudslides in portions of Southern California.

\"PHOTO:
Daniel Dreifuss/AP
PHOTO: A member of the Long Beach Search and Rescue team looks for survivors in a car in Montecito, Calif., Jan. 9, 2018.
>
\"PHOTO:
@EliasonMike
PHOTO: Firefighters search for trapped people in Montecito, Calif, Jan. 9, 2018, after mud and debris destroyed buildings following heavy rains.
>

The weather has snarled drivers and first responders attempting to aid storm victims. Routes in and out of Santa Barbara have been shut down from the south, and various roadways have been swallowed by the floods.

The only way into some of the washed-out homes is by air. Ventura's Air Squad 6 dedicated helicopters to join Santa Barbara in the rescue effort.

Air Squad 6 assisting Santa Barbera County with rescues in the Carpinteria flood area. Working with copters from Santa Barbera and Coast Guard. @VCFD @VCSOVentura @SBARBARAFIRE @uscoastguard @Venturaoes pic.twitter.com/Ky2IextxJt

— VenturaCoAirUnit (@VCAirUnit) January 9, 2018

Officials told ABC News they have been called to locations but they are stuck like thousands of motorists. Excessive flooding and debris made some parts of Santa Barbara impassable.

Stranded drivers caught up in the rising water levels were being plucked from their vehicles to safer, dryer ground by emergency personnel relying on mostly aviation transportation.

The Santa Barbara County Fire Department released photos of U.S. Route 101 that was flooded with runoff water from Montecito Creek. Debris and mudflow blocked the railway for the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad through Montecito.

\"PHOTO:
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP
PHOTO: A damaged home in Montecito, Calif., Jan. 10, 2018 after dozens of homes were swept away or heavily damaged after heavy rains brought mud and boulders roaring down hills stripped of vegetation by a wildfire last month.
>

ABC News' Fergal Gallagher, Julia Jacobo, Michael Kreisel, M.L. Nestel and Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that, according to the Associated Press, Michael Van Hecke was killed. Van Hecke was not killed, nor did The Associated Press report that he was killed. Roy Rohter was killed, according to the AP, citing Van Hecke.

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