Hi, you two.
I met you once before at the benefit
for the first responders.
And we've been trying to get you on the show
ever since I saw the story, and I
know that there's a lot of grieving still going on,
so I appreciate--
I just don't want people to forget that this happened.
And we still need a lot of help there.
That's where I live, and I love that community.
So I just want to keep this story alive and keep telling
what's--
we need help still.
You lost your husband and your son and your home.
Yeah.
And I just--
I'm so sorry.
I want to thank you for--
you've been such a standout in the community,
helping to keep the story alive and helping some of the healing
happen.
So we're really grateful for what you've done.
Well, obviously, it's the least I can do.
And I just-- I love-- as you know,
it's the best place in the world to live.
It is.
It's a great place.
So OK, so you're in the-- a lot of people who were hit
the hardest were involuntary.
You weren't even in a mandatory--
No, we weren't
--evacuation.
--mandatory, no.
OK, so what is the experience for you that night?
Well, it was about 3:00 or 3:15 in the morning.
It was raining hard.
We were all up, all working on getting out.
My husband went outside in his rain jacket
to check on the garage and the water situation.
And then he came back in.
He said, guys, we got to get out.
And I was in the living room.
He went to the front door, and I saw him open the front door
and he slammed it right away, and he said, back door, now.
And he ran right past me through the back door
to our pool and patio.
And he's like, Kim, get out.
And as I went to try to get out, my hand got stuck in the door,
because as I turned to look at the front door,
a tidal wave of water came roaring through.
And he's like, get out now.
And I said, honey, my hand's stuck.
I can't, I can't.
And then I went under, and it was
like being in an industrial sized trash
compactor with everything hitting me,
like bricks, granite, glass.
I've never felt that much pain in my entire life.
And then the next thing I know, I
was waking up about two football fields away from where
I started on a debris pile.
Wow.
So then Lauren, so you are the face
that everybody knows, because we watched you getting pulled out
of the mud.
So tell me what you experienced.
So my brother and I were sitting in the living room,
and as my dad was going out to check on the water,
we were just sitting there thinking.
And my dad ran back inside, and he's
like, everyone get in the car now.
And I asked him if we should bring our bags,
and he said, get out.
Just go.
And so I ran to my room and I put on my rain boots
and I grabbed my jacket, and then
as I started running down the hallway back to the front door,
water was coming in like a river.
So I ran the other way, and that's
when I got trapped by the water in my mom's office.
And then I was pinned to the wall with a desk,
and I just started being thrown around by different things
and drowning.
And then at some point, there was just a large bang,
and I was stuck and I couldn't move.
And everything kind of just piled on top of me.
And I was sitting there.
So you were conscious, but you were, how many, 20 feet under?
Mm-hm, yeah.
You were 20 feet under mud when they found you.
So then when did you all reunite,
because then you didn't know where anyone was, right?
Yeah, I asked them when they were pulling me out.
I was like, have you found anyone?
They told me that they found my mom,
but they said they haven't seen the boys anywhere.
And then I asked about my best friends
who also live in Montecito, and they were fine.
So I was just trying to think it all through.
Right.
They had us in different hospitals.
So I think we FaceTimed the next day.
But I found-- I mean, it was an amazing story of her science
teacher from school, the moms from the National Charity
League, her nanny, just when they saw her in the rescue
video, ran to the hospital.
And so I knew she was cared for, and then they got her.
They transferred her over to my hospital in about a week.
Well, again, I'm so sorry for your loss--
Thank you.
--of your husband, and your son, your brother.
And it breaks my heart.
I'm so sorry that that happened to you and to other families,
and we will continue to make people aware of that.
And I'm just proud of how the community came together.
Oh, they've been incredible.
And you have a beautiful voice.
Thank you.
You sang the other night at the benefit that Brad Paisley did,
and we had you sing here earlier today.
And it's on EllenTube, and you should go and listen
to her sing "Rise Up."
It's absolutely beautiful.
So thank you for that, and that will be on EllenTube.
And I know that makes you happy and feel better.
Singing is everything.
And for the past two seasons, we've
been partnering with Walmart to donate millions of dollars
to disaster relief efforts this year.
Earlier, they helped with the recovery efforts in Montecito.
Today, they're going to give you a check for $20,000.
Wow.
I know you're living in a rental,
and we want to help you in every way we can.
Thank you very much.
[APPLAUSE]
Appreciate it.
We'll be back.
Thank you, Walmart.