The amazing–and tragic–experiences of Laguna Canyon residents one
fateful night 11 years ago are relived in a new episode of the Weather
Channel's Storm Stories Sunday at 5 p.m. Narrated by Jim Cantore, Storm Stories chronicles the true stories of survivors and rescuers battling amazing weather events
After
six Laguna Canyon residents escaped one mudslide, they helped rescue
trapped neighbors before seeking refuge and a night's sleep Feb. 23,
1998, in the home of Charlie and Anne Quilter. For reporters
following up on the story afterward, Charlie Quilter recalled the exact
time tragedy struck: 11:58 p.m. That's when a larger mudslide tore down the
hill and ripped away part of his home, carrying the occupants with it.
One guest, Glenn Flook, did not make it out alive. The
25-year-old had gone with his fiancN to the Quilters after rescuing
neighbors trapped by the first mudslide before falling victim to the
second.
Gary Segraves did manage to get out of the Quilter house alive, landing in the right place at the right time to rescue nine-month-old Tiffany Sarabia,
whose family feared she drowned in the river of mud after being ripped
from her mother's arms. Tiffany, who was not reunited with her parents
until days later at a Red Cross center, became known as the miracle
baby of Laguna Canyon.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.