In light of this week’s impending storms, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared during a press conference on Sunday that he is asking the White House to declare a state of emergency.
Over 560,000 homes lost power as a result of severe storms in California on Sunday.
The state has seen multiple days of severe weather, and two more are expected this week in addition to the power outages. The first storm is anticipated to start on Monday and last until early on Tuesday, and the second storm is anticipated to last from January 12 to 14.
“We’ve been at this for how many days and expect to see the worst of it still in front of us. We’re anticipating some very intense weather coming in tomorrow, tomorrow evening in particular, into the early hours of Tuesday morning,” Newsom stated.
The governor and his team referred to these storms as atmospheric rivers, or storms that produce flooding, mudslides, property destruction, and fatalities as a result of their heavy downpours.
According to Newsom, flooding during atmospheric river episodes has actually resulted in 12 fatalities, making them more lethal than wildfires over the past two years.
“These floods are deadly and have now turned to be more deadly than even the wildfires here in the state of California. Common sense. Just be cautious over the course of the next week, again, particularly the next day or two.”
There is a “direct threat to life and property” from these impending storms, the National Weather Service warned citizens in California, so they should keep up with weather forecasts over the next days.
The region experienced destructive winds, big waves, flooding rain, and debris flows last week as a result of a deadly bomb cyclone.
During the bomb cyclone, two individuals died in the San Francisco Bay region, one of whom was a youngster who was inside a house when a tree fell on it.
A 19-year-old Fairfield woman was murdered after her automobile hydroplaned on a road that was partially submerged and slammed into a utility pole.
According to Fox Weather, the most recent atmospheric river will make landfall in California late Sunday night or early Monday morning, bringing with it strong winds and torrential rain.
