(CNN) Ben Hyatt rushed to wake everyone up when rivers of mud started banging the doors and walls of his Montecito, California, home.

"Seemed like just heavy rain," he said. "Five minutes later, (I) heard (a) loud whish sound. Mud came in an instant, like a dam breaking."

Hyatt and other residents are recalling the chaos that ensued as Tuesday's deadly mudslides and flooding devastated parts of Southern California. Hundreds of rescuers and dogs still were searching for people Wednesday.

They heard a 'deep rumbling' sound

Heavy rain and a "deep rumbling" sound preceded the massive amounts of mud that blanketed miles and killed at least 17 people.

When the rain began drenching the area, Hyatt decided to stay up late to "keep an eye on things." Shortly, he would be moving furniture around to keep the mud from getting into his home.

Streets were like rapids, and in minutes cars began moving sideways, disappearing underneath the mud and crashing into homes.

Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California An aerial view of Montecito, California, shows mudflow and debris on Wednesday, January 10, 2018. Heavy rains unleashed deadly mudslides Tuesday that damaged or swept away dozens of homes in Southern California. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California A damaged home is seen in Montecito on January 10, 2018. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Part of a structure sits in a tree after being knocked off its foundation by a Montecito mudslide on January 10, 2018. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Emergency personnel carry a woman from a collapsed house after a mudslide in Montecito on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Kerry Mann navigates the large boulders and mudflow that destroyed her friend's home in Montecito. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California A view of the 101 freeway from Olive Mill Road in Montecito. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Phillip Harnsberger crosses through mud from a flooded creek in Montecito on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Mud fills the interior of a destroyed car in Burbank on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Runoff water from a creek floods Highway 101 in Montecito on January 9, 2018. Flooding forced many heavily traveled roads to close. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Reilly, a search dog with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, looks for victims in Montecito on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California A firefighter clears debris in Los Angeles on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California A van is stuck in the mud in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California A police vehicle drives across a flooded side road in Montecito, near the San Ysidro exit of Highway 101 on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Mud covers a road in Burbank on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Los Angeles firefighters work amid floodwaters and mud on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California A member of the Long Beach search and rescue team looks for survivors in a car in Montecito on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Mud washes away personal belongings in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 9, 2018. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Deadly mudslides in Southern California Rushing rainwater fills the Los Angeles River near downtown Los Angeles. Hide Caption 18 of 18

Josie Gower held onto a door frame when a devastating river of mud rushed inside her Montecito home.

The 69-year-old woman and her boyfriend were at home Tuesday when the mudslide swept through the neighborhood.

"For some reason, she opened the front door" and was swept away, Diane Brewer, one of Gower's friends, told CNN.

Gower is among those who have been reported dead in Santa Barbara County, Brewer said. More than a dozen people remain unaccounted for, authorities said.

Families rushed to escape the raging mudflow

"We ran into the house and right then the boulders busted through the house," Berkeley "Augie" Johnson told KSBY.

The muddy water was not slowly leaking into homes like rainfall does -- it came in slamming.

As Johnson and his family ran up to the second level of their home, about 8 to 9 feet of mud followed them closely. With nowhere to go, they crawled out of a window to reach the roof, he said.

Mud fills the interior of a car destroyed by mudslide in Burbank, California.

Children and babies were pulled from the mud

The mud and debris overwhelmed many homes and wiped some of them out.

Johnson pulled a baby submerged in about 4 feet of mud, KSBY reported.

"We don't know where it came from but we got it out, took the mud out of his mouth. I hope that's OK," he said.

From the rubble of another home, firefighters rescued a 14-year-old girl who had been trapped for hours after her home collapsed.

The girl, coated head to foot in mud, was led by firefighters from a pile of wood and debris that was once a house, a photo from Santa Barbara County Fire Department showed.

Firefighters rescue a 14-year-old girl coated in mud from where her house once stood.

In Carpinteria, near Montecito, a US Coast Guard helicopter crew plucked a family of five, including a newborn , from the roof of a house where mud had flooded the first floor.

The destruction was everywhere

Peter Hartmann said power lines were down and aluminum poles were snapped in half. The water was flowing out of water mains and coming from fire hydrants.