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Californians cope with more rain, snow, flooding and outages

Published:Monday | January 9, 2023 | 2:17 PM
A tree collapsed and ripped up the sidewalk damaging a home in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. The weather service's Sacramento office said the region should brace for an even more powerful storm system to move in late Sunday and early Monday. “Widespread power outages, downed trees and difficult driving conditions will be possible," the office said on Twitter. (AP Photo/Kathleen Ronayne)

SANTA CRUZ, California (AP) — Californians grappled with flooding and mudslides Monday as the latest in a series of powerful storms walloped the state, shuttering schools, toppling trees and leaving tens of thousands without power.

Evacuation orders were issued in Santa Cruz County for about 32,000 residents living near rapidly rising rivers and creeks, said Melodye Serino, the deputy county administrative officer.

The San Lorenzo River was declared at flood stage, and video on social media showed a neighbourhood flooded with muddy water surging up to a stop sign. Mudslides in mountainous areas blocked roads, and officials urged residents to stay home.

In Northern California, several districts closed schools because of the storms. More than 35,000 customers remained without power in Sacramento, down from more than 350,000 a day earlier after gusts of 60 mph (97 kph) knocked trees into power lines, according to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

The National Weather Service warned of a “relentless parade of atmospheric rivers” — storms that are long plumes of moisture stretching out into the Pacific and are capable of dropping staggering amounts of rain and snow.

The rain and snow expected over the next couple of days come after California has already been walloped by storms that last week knocked out power to thousands, flooded streets, and battered the coastline with high surf.

President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration Monday for California to support storm response and relief efforts in more than a dozen counties including Sacramento, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles.

Governor Gavin Newsom said 12 people died as a result of violent weather during the past 10 days, and he warned that this week's storms could be even more dangerous and urged people to stay home.

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