Deadly storms in California: Already 14 victims – "Be vigilant!"

Created: 01/10/2023 10:28 am

By: Fabian Mueller

Flooded street in Aptos, California: Since the end of December, the most populous state in the USA has been hit by heavy rain, strong winds and flooding.

© Nic Coury/FR171100 AP/dpa

Severe storms have killed several people in California.

The governor warns of more flooding and winter storms.

Sacramento – Hurricanes and heavy rains have been raging in the US state of California since the end of December.

According to Governor Gavin Newsom, the storm has claimed the lives of 14 people so far.

That's more life than the wildfires of the past two years combined, Newsom said in a statement Monday evening (January 9).

"Our message to Californians is simple: Be extremely vigilant," he said.

There were still several days of severe winter weather ahead of them.

California is currently experiencing a third week of severe winter storms with heavy rain, fierce winds and flooding.

Only on Monday did the authorities in several regions order evacuations again.

In the south of the west coast state, in the region around the coastal city of Santa Barbara, warnings were given of floods and mud and boulder avalanches.

The town of Montecito was also affected, where Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, presenter Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities live.

Storms in California: Rivers burst their banks, roads are impassable

Many streams and rivers in the most populous state in the USA have burst their banks as a result of the winter storms, and some of the roads in the most severely affected regions are impassable.

Due to already wet soil, authorities are also warning of flash floods and mudslides, particularly in areas where previously wildfires have destroyed plant cover.

For the coming days, the US weather service NWS expected "additional heavy rains" that could lead to flooding and landslides.

According to the NWS, up to 130 millimeters of rain fell in the coastal regions of central California over the course of Monday alone.

Further precipitation was also expected there and in the south of the state for Tuesday, in the mountains of the Sierra Nevada fresh snow and snow depths of up to 1.80 meters were expected.

As of Monday, more than 100,000 California homes were without power.

At the request of Governor Newsom, the US government in Washington declared California a state of emergency.

Storm in California: Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres films torrents – "It's crazy"

In Montecito, a place popular with US celebrities, even 200 millimeters of rain should fall within 24 hours - on hilly terrain that has already been softened by weeks of downpours.

Authorities on a state website called on city residents to leave Montecito "immediately" due to the "rapidly evolving" situation.

Former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres posted a video of a torrent on Twitter.

"This is crazy," she told her followers.

"This creek next to our house never flows.

It's probably about a meter tall now and will continue to rise by a foot and a half.” It was initially unclear how many of the city's residents, which include actress Gwyneth Paltrow and singer Katy Perry, heeded the authorities' evacuation call.

Montecito is particularly vulnerable to landslides due to extensive vegetation fires in 2017 and 2018.

Heavy rainfall is actually not uncommon in the California winter.

However, California has been suffering from a persistent drought for more than two decades, which has favored extensive forest and bush fires, among other things.

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Video: Flooding wreaks havoc in California

Where vegetation has been destroyed by fire, heavy rainfall can hardly seep into the ground - which in turn encourages landslides.

Moreover, the precipitation is by no means a real remedy for the drought in California: According to scientists, several years of above-average precipitation would be necessary to bring California's water reserves back to a satisfactory level.