Meghan Markle, Prince Harry ordered to evacuate Montecito amid flooding

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may not have considered possible flooding when they bought their multi-million dollar estate in Montecito, Santa Barbara, California in 2020. Unfortunately, residents of the seaside town and surrounding communities have been told on Monday to evacuate, and this does not exempt the royal couple.

The Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management has ordered residents to "leave now" amid a deluge of rain that resulted in flooded streets and the threat of mudslides. Strong winds have reportedly also hurled debris onto the streets. The evacuation affects residents of Montecito, Toro Canyon, Sycamore Canyon, and Padaro Lane in Carpinteria.

The order also advised those who chose not to evacuate to be able to "sustain" themselves and their "household for multiple days." Meanwhile, residents who are unable to leave due to blocked or flooded roads are advised to "go to the innermost room in their homes or high ground." Officials said they should "not attempt to leave."

According to HuffPost, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown made the decision to evacuate residents "based on the continuing high rate of rainfall with no indication that that is going to change before nightfall." Montecito Fire Chief Kevin Taylor likewise said that the town had seen at least 8 inches of rain in 12 hours and is expected to increase.

It is unclear if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have evacuated Montecito along with their two children, Archie and Lilibet, and their dogs. It is also not known if they are on the premises at all since their representatives have not replied to requests for comment.

Aside from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, other celebrity residents in the area include Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Rob Lowe, Oprah Winfrey, and Ellen DeGeneres. The comedienne took to Twitter to share a video in which she stood next to a gushing creek. She wrote, "Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone."

The evacuation order in Montecito comes on the 5th anniversary of a mudslide that killed 23 people and destroyed over 100 homes. It also comes as Prince Harry appeared in a series of TV interviews to promote his memoir "Spare."