California Governor Gavin Newsom He announced during a press conference Sunday that he is calling for a declaration of emergency from the White House as another round of storms targets the Golden State this week.
Severe storms in California More than 560,000 homes lost power on Sunday.
A home in the senior residential community affected by the recent “Blast Hurricane” flooding in Santa Cruz County.
(Watsonville City Councilman Casey Clark)
Besides the power outages, the state has faced several days of severe weather events and two more are scheduled for this week. The first storm is expected to start on Monday and last into the early morning hours on Tuesday, and the second storm is expected from January 12-14.
“We’ve been through that number of days and expect to see the worst of it still ahead,” Newsom said. “We expect very severe weather coming in tomorrow, and tomorrow evening in particular, into the early hours of Tuesday morning.”
Governor and his team referred to these storms as atmospheric rivers, or flooding storms Huge amounts of raincausing floods, mudslides, property damage, and loss of life.
An empty car is surrounded by flood waters on a road in Oakland, California, Wednesday, January 4, 2023. Another winter storm moved into California on Wednesday, drenching the northern part of the state with more rain and snow. It is the second major storm of the week in a dry state.
((AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez))
In fact, 12 people died from flooding during the weather events according to Newsom, making them deadlier than wildfires over the past two years.
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“These floods are deadly and have now turned out to be more deadly than the wildfires here in California,” he said. “Common sense. Just be careful over the course of the next week, again, and especially the next day or two.”
Fox Weather reports that the National Weather Service has advised people in California to stay on top of the weather forecast for the next several days as there is an “immediate threat to life and property” from these incoming storms.
This GOES-West GeoColor satellite image made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows an approaching storm system along the West Coast of the United States at 9:16 p.m. EDT, Wednesday, January 4, 2023. As a massive storm approached CALIFORNIA On Wednesday, officials began ordering evacuations in a high-risk coastal area where mudslides killed 23 people in 2018, while residents elsewhere in the state scrambled to find sandbags, bracing for flooding and power outages.
((NOAA via AP))
The warming comes after a deadly cyclone brought torrential rains, debris flows, damaging winds and big waves to the area last week.
California storm causes at least one death and causes dangerous flooding and strong winds
Two people were killed in the San Francisco Bay Area during the hurricane, one of whom was a child inside a house when a tree fell on him.
In Fairfield, a 19-year-old woman was killed when her car hydroplaned on a partially flooded road and hit a utility pole.
The newest atmospheric river will head into California late Sunday night and early Monday morning, Fox Weather said, bringing heavy rains and damaging winds to the region.
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Flood watches have been issued across the state and are expected to remain in effect through Wednesday.
State officials have warned residents that just one foot of water can cause a vehicle to start flooding. When drivers decide to risk driving in flooded areas, Newsom said, they not only put their lives in danger, but also the lives of first responders.
Newsom said he’s in contact with the White House to discuss federal assistance for these storms, and he’s ready to make a formal request on Sunday. He added that he was confident that he would receive the full support of the federal government.
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He also said that not only is the density of these rivers in the atmosphere increasing, but it is also a consequence of climate change.
“Hot is getting hot,” Newsom said. “Dry is getting drier. But wet is getting wetter, too.”