Snow, thunderstorms and high winds: More than 9,000 people in California under evacuation orders for another dangerous ‘atmospheric river’

Another storm with heavy rain hit California this Friday, and while the snow will be minimal, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the rain increases the risk of severe flooding. are waiting Continued rain over the weekendThis could create “significant flooding of urban roads and small streams.”

until Friday night, More than 9,000 state residents were under evacuation orders due to the raging river It brought rain, electrical storms and strong winds that caused rivers and streams to rise and major highways to flood.

It is feared that Additional precipitation melts some of the thicker layers of snowCreating creeks, and in some cases, rain can make the snow even heavier, increasing the likelihood of already fragile roofs collapsing.

The NWS warned the public to protect their property from flooding and said drivers should not attempt to cross waterlogged roads.

President Joe Biden on Friday approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request for an emergency declaration. The announcement authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support state and local responses to the storm.

This Thursday, Newsom declared a state of emergency in 21 counties to support disaster relief and response efforts.

In Santa Cruz County, a creek swelled Part of Main Street in Soquel, a town of 10,000 people, was washed out by the rain, and isolated many neighborhoods. District officials said crews were clearing trees and other debris to find a way for people to cross the creek.

The district administration has asked city residents to stay at home. Heather Wingfield, a teacher who runs a small urban farm with her husband in Soquel, said she and her neighbors are stuck in their homes for now.

“It’s horrible,” he told the AP. “I hope no one has a medical emergency.”

Wingfield said his neighbors’ water infrastructure was also washed away, but his family’s well will keep them running.

A worker died this Friday Rain caused part of the roof to collapse at a coffee distribution warehouse in Oakland. Another employee was injured in the collapse, the Los Angeles Times reported.

I know too Evacuations were ordered in nearby Watsonville and Central California counties Kern and Tulare are small communities near rivers and streams. In the San Francisco Bay Area, flood waters blocked portions of several major highways, including Interstate 580 in Oakland, disrupting travel.

In the state’s south, officials continue to focus their attention on San Bernardino County, where hundreds of mountain residents were stranded for days after a blizzard left more than 100 inches (2.5 meters) of snow.

They were counted till today Thursday 13 blizzard-related deaths, San Bernardino officials said. Only one of the deaths has been confirmed to be due to the storm, while the other 12 are under investigation.

State reservoirs, which had dropped to shockingly low levels, are now above this year’s average, prompting state officials to release water from reservoirs to control flooding and accommodate more rain.

So far, the levels Snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, which provides one-third of the state’s water supply, is more than 180% April 1 average, when historically peaked.

Officials on Friday planned to open the dam’s spillways for the first time since April 2019 due to high levels of water in Lake Oroville, one of the state’s largest reservoirs and home to the nation’s tallest dam.

The water The reservoir has risen 180 feet since December 1. Of the state’s 17 major reservoirs, seven are below their historical averages this year.

Despite heavy rains in January, Newsom is concerned that the rains will stop, calling on state water regulators to temporarily suspend some environmental rules to allow the state to store additional water from rivers and streams for later.

But regulators on Thursday canceled an earlier order to keep more water in the rivers because of heavy rains since then.