It will be a busy time for California residents as the weather begins to act up again. The National Weather Service has warned that from Thursday, February 8, the elements will be on rampage.
According to the service, Californians should expect flash floods early Thursday in the Southern half of the State. The flash floods will also come with heavy tornados.
At-risk areas include Los Angeles, Pomona, and Long Beach. These areas will be especially prone to torrential rain and frightening thunderstorms.
Over at Grover Beach, the likelihood of a tornado is high, according to the warning. In numerous parts of the state, residents could experience mudslides after the storm has subsided.
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At least nine people have lost their lives so far, and the state battles to keep residents safe. People are suspicious of every tree after reports of trees falling and killing people.
There have been car crashes, too, as a result of the storm and its attendant confusion. Water moving at high speed has taken people along to their deaths.
There have been accusations from community organizers against Los Angeles storm response officials. Community leaders have accused city workers of negligence in their response to the homeless population.
California has been plunged into a state of emergency after an unprecedented storm system hit its southern region on Monday. The storm took some hours off to catch its breath, but weathermen are warning that another round will commence between mid-Wednesday and Thursday.
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“Do not let the break Wednesday morning misguide you − more rain and mountain snow coming Wednesday afternoon and night,” wrote the weather service on its X account. “This system will be able to interact with the lingering moisture from our current storm to bring one last band of organized precipitation Wednesday afternoon and night.”
So far, officials have recorded about 500 mudslides resulting from six months’s rain in just a few days. The rains have also caused the Los Angeles River to overflow its banks. But experts predict that the coming one will be even more disastrous.
Weathermen predict that sections of the Central Valley area will experience up to half an inch of additional rain. The storm will also impact parts of two neighboring states: Arizona and Nevada.
So far, more than 50 homes have been destroyed by the impacts of the storms and mudslides. Authorities have also red-tagged 15 of such homes. County officials have also had to dish out evacuation orders to Orange, San Bernardino, and Ventura residents.
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Emergency workers have been working round the clock to rescue people in need and help with evacuations. So far, they’ve done quite satisfactorily in most parts of the affected areas. One of the major challenges remains power outages.
Since Monday, strong winds have caused trees to fall on electrical equipment and on homes. As a result, over 1.4 million residents have suffered power outages across the state. Hopefully, the storm will abate sooner than later, and things will return to normal.
