>> reporter: they are working so hard, and they're being praised for their work and let me tell you something, this is somber, but this is reality. look at the 101 freeway just covered in all of this debris. what the first responders are reckoning with is so much mud and they've turned this, the sheriff said it just a short time ago, it's not search and rescue. this is search and recovery. we know there's 20 dead, four missing. they're trying to clear this major artery here. this is between basically southern california and los angeles all the way up to san francisco, feverishly working on getting this clear, and here's a reminder, look in front of us, surf boards and kayaks, we understand from these business owners from the north, i've been talking to people at riding stables, kayak rental centers more than 100 miles to the north, people in the valley and -- what they're saying is this happen there, but don't forget us. as this area needs to come back