'No significant letup' expected as severe California flooding leaves at least 16 dead
Severe winter storms in California have left at least 16 people dead and a child missing after heavy rains and flash flooding across the state.
Following more than three weeks of winter storms, the White House approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s request to declare a federal emergency as the death toll was pushed above the number of fatalities from “wildfires in the past two years combined.”
Those deaths include a 5-year-old boy swept away by floodwaters in San Luis Obispo County in central California.
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Officials called off a search for the boy Monday due to extreme weather conditions, authorities told NBC News.
Four people were trapped in the Chatsworth area of the San Fernando Valley outside Los Angeles after a sinkhole swallowed their cars, fire officials said.
Two escaped, while fire crews had to extricate the two others, who suffered minor injuries.
The Los Angeles Times reports that two motorists died early Tuesday in a crash on Highway 99 in Tulare County after a tree was struck by lightning and fell onto the roadway, bringing the death toll to 16.
Newsom called on Californians to remain “hyper-vigilant” ahead of what are expected to be several more days of severe weather.
“We need all Californians to be alert and heed the advice of emergency officials,” Newsom said in a statement. “We are mobilizing all available resources at every level of government to protect lives and limit storm damage.”
The sheer volume of rainfall in the state is statistically massive. According to the National Weather Service, rainfall levels are as much as 600% above average across California.
Meanwhile, just under 200,000 homes and businesses were without power as of Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
And while the start of 2023 has already proved devastating for California, there could be more challenges in the coming days. The National Weather Service is forecasting heavy rainfall across the state Tuesday and in Northern California on Wednesday, warning that “no significant letup” is expected anytime soon.
Evacuation orders were issued up and down the state Monday due to the threat of flash flooding and mudslides, including in the Montecito area in Santa Barbara County, which is home to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Nearly two dozen people were killed in Montecito in 2018 after a severe storm caused mudflows that forced evacuations throughout the area.
