San Frasico: As a massive storm barreled into the state on Wednesday, bringing high winds and rain that threatened widespread flooding and knocked out power to more than 100,000 people, authorities in California ordered evacuations in a high-risk coastal area where mudslides killed 23 people in 2018.
The San Francisco Bay Area was expected to receive up to 6 inches of rain from the storm, and the majority of the area would continue to be under flood warnings into late Thursday night. Forecasters predicted that the storm's intensity in Southern California would peak overnight into early Thursday morning, with Santa Barbara and Ventura counties likely to experience the heaviest rainfall.
According to Nancy Ward, the new director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, this storm series may be among the most difficult and significant to hit California in the previous five years.
London Breed, the mayor of San Francisco, declared during a press conference that the city was "getting ready for a war." Workers unclogged storm drains, attempted to get homeless people into shelters, and distributed ponchos and emergency supplies to those who resisted.
Residents received so many sandbags from the city that the supply briefly ran out.
At the San Francisco International Airport, strong winds with gusts of 136 km/h or more forced the cancellation of more than 70 flights and toppled trees and power lines. A family was saved by firefighters after a tree fell on their car. Although there were no reported injuries, the fire department reported that "large pieces of glass" fell off the Fox Plaza tower close to the Civic Center. The department tweeted that it was "highly likely" that the skyscraper's damage was caused by wind.
More than 100,000 customers in the Central Coast and San Francisco Bay Area lost power as a result of the recent storm.
The storm is one of three so-called atmospheric river storms to hit the drought-stricken state in the previous week. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, declared a state of emergency to facilitate an immediate response and to aid in the cleanup following another powerful storm that struck only a few days earlier.
Evacuations have been ordered for residents of the three recent wildfire-damaged areas in Santa Barbara County, Southern California, where overnight heavy rain is predicted to cause widespread flooding and unleash debris flows.
Also Read: Emergency UN meeting to be held regarding Israeli visit to holy site
Although Susan Klein-Rothschild, a spokeswoman for the county's emergency operations centre, said sheriff's deputies went door to door and contacted at least 480 people, county officials did not have a precise count of the number of people who were required to evacuate.
Montecito was one of the communities that received an evacuation order. Five years prior, massive boulders, mud, and other debris swept down mountains and through the town, destroying more than 100 homes and killing 23 people. Numerous famous people call the town home, including Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle.
According to Kevin Taylor, chief of the Montecito Fire Department, "What we're talking about here is a lot of water coming off the top of the hills, coming down into the creeks and streams, and as it comes down, it gains momentum and that's what the initial danger is."
In other news, a 72 km section of Highway 1 through Big Sur was shut down on Wednesday night due to the possibility of flooding and rockfalls. A 40 Km section of Highway 101 further north was closed because of numerous fallen trees.
Drivers were advised to avoid using the roads unless absolutely necessary, particularly with the mountains expected to receive significant snowfall.
The storm struck just days after a New Year's Eve downpour forced the evacuation of residents of small rural communities in Northern California and the rescue of several drivers trapped on flooded roads. A few levees were damaged south of Sacramento. At least four people were killed by flooding from that storm, according to authorities who discovered a body in a submerged car on Wednesday in south Sacramento County.
Orders to evacuate were in effect in Paradise Park in Santa Cruz County, which is situated along the rapidly flowing San Lorenzo River, as well as in certain locations along the Pajaro River. In 2020, evacuees from wildfires in the Santa Cruz Mountains were preparing to leave their homes as Boulder Creek, Ben Lomond, and Felton were all warned to be ready to do so.
Authorities in Sonoma County issued an evacuation alert for a number of towns along the Russian River because Thursday was forecast to be a flood day.
The state's ongoing drought, which is now in its fourth year, won't be officially ended by the storms. The majority of California is experiencing severe to extreme drought, according to the US Drought Monitor. Major reservoirs in the state have plenty of room to fill up with additional water from the storm because they are low, according to officials.
Now that the ground is suddenly saturated and the winds are strong, trees that were already stressed from years of little rain are more likely to fall. According to Karla Nemeth, director of the state's Department of Water Resources, this could result in widespread power outages or create flood hazards.
She stated during an emergency briefing that we are currently experiencing both a flood and a drought emergency.
Other parts of the US were also affected by storms. This week, ice and heavy snowfall in the Midwest forced the closure of schools in Minnesota and western Wisconsin and caused a jet to crash after landing in Minneapolis during a snowstorm. According to Delta Airlines, no travellers were hurt.
A possible tornado struck the South early on Wednesday, damaging homes, bringing down trees, and flipping a car on its side in Montgomery, Alabama.
Following at least six tornadoes in Illinois, the most rare January tornadoes ever recorded in the state since 1989, staff from the National Weather Service's Chicago office planned to assess storm damage on Wednesday.
