MONTECITO, Calif. — The founder of
a Catholic school in Ventura is among the fatalities caused by mudslides in
Southern California, which have left at least 20 people dead and many others
missing or injured in Montecito. About 100 homes were destroyed and hundreds of
others were severely damaged in the coastal enclave of about 9,000 people
northwest of Los Angeles.
Several news accounts said that a
mudslide swept Roy Rohter, who founded St. Augustine Academy in Ventura, and
his wife, Theresa, from their home in Montecito early Jan. 9. Theresa was
rescued and said to be in stable condition, but Roy did not survive
"Roy's life has been in
service to his good, loving and ever-forgiving God," said Michael Van
Hecke, St. Augustine's headmaster. "He has done so much for so many people
and pro-life and Catholic education causes. ... Thousands have been blessed by
the Rohters' friendship and generosity."
Heavy rains trigged the mudslides
in an area ravaged a month before by wildfires. The Associated Press described
a "torrent of mud, trees and boulders that flowed down a fire-scarred
mountain and slammed" into Montecito in Santa Barbara County Jan. 9.
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2018