California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for southern areas of the state affected by the strongest Christmas storm in years. A state of emergency has been declared in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Shasta counties.
Several major routes in Southern California (USA) were closed due to flooding and evacuation orders were issued for some communities affected by the storms. Meanwhile, thousands of Los Angeles residents were reportedly without power as the storm hit the region.
“A series of atmospheric rivers brought heavy rainfall and strong winds to already saturated soils across the state, increasing the risk of flooding, landslides, debris flows and rapid flooding of streams and rivers,” the governor said in a news release.
He added that recently burned areas in Southern California are at increased risk of landslides and debris flows if heavy rains continue.
For her part, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass also declared a local state of emergency to ensure the city has sufficient resources in the coming days, and widespread flash flood warnings were issued in Southern California.
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