Nouran Salahieh, Jason Hanna, Joe Sutton, Christina Maxouris, CNN
Thousands of Californians remain under evacuation orders as heavy rains continue in parts of the state and threaten more flooding as part of a series of storms that have killed at least 17 people in recent weeks.
Thunderstorms will hit northern California Tuesday afternoon, with more rain expected Wednesday and Thursday. Statewide, more than 20 million people have a disability. flood warning This is because the risk of landslides extends to the Los Angeles and San Diego areas.
“Flash floods are likely to occur over a wide area, especially in steep terrain and near burn scars,” said the Center for Weather Forecasting. Said Tuesday afternoon.
About 34,000 people across the state have been ordered to evacuate, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
rain is part of the wave atmospheric river — a strip of air that can carry moisture thousands of miles — has hit the West Coast in the past few weeks. amount 400% to 600% above average At that time.
Southern California’s rains have largely held off over the weekend, but California isn’t out of the woods. Four more atmospheric river events are expected in the next ten days. Severe weather in Northern California on Wednesday and Thursday will be followed by storms over the weekend, another weather event early next week, and another in the next few days.
Floods, landslides, or threats of them have led to evacuations, road closures, and frantic rescues from north to south of the Golden State this week. Trees fell, homes lost power and major roads turned into rivers or were closed Monday as storms caused high winds and heavy rain.
In Santa Cruz County, just southwest of San Jose, Rachel Oliveria stayed home Monday after rising waters from a nearby river flooded her home.
“It was across the street and in our yard in just a few minutes, and it went really fast,” says Oliveira.
A wrap of recent developments:
• 2 drivers killedIn California’s interior San Joaquin Valley, a tree fell on a pick-up truck on Highway 99 in Visalia early Tuesday morning, killing the driver and killing a motorcyclist after it struck a tree, according to the California Highway Patrol. .
• missing child: A 5-year-old boy was swept away in floodwaters Monday morning near the Salinas River in San Miguel, about 215 miles northwest of Los Angeles by car. The multi-hour search for the child resumed on Tuesday morning after a break due to bad weather on Monday afternoon.
• evacuation: The Salinas River area was evacuated Tuesday afternoon due to flooding, Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said. Said on Twitter.
• Power outage: Public utilities are down due to storms, causing power outages. As of about 5:30 p.m. local time, he said more than 100,000 homes, businesses and other utility customers had no electricity service in California. PowerOutage.us.
President Joe Biden on Monday Approved The move is in support of California’s efforts to respond to the storm that has been toppling the state for weeks.
Fatal climate disaster for the homeless
At least two people who died in the California storms were homeless.
Rebekah Rohde, 40, and Steven Sorensen, 61, were found “with a tree over their tent” over the weekend. news release From the Sacramento County Coroner. Both were uncontained, according to the release.
In Southern California, just northwest of Los Angeles, at least 18 people were rescued Monday by the Ventura County Fire Department, including several people stranded on an island in the Ventura River, fire officials said. Stated. Many of those rescued from the river were not contained and the fire department Said.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness told CNN that the homeless face the highest risk during inclement weather and is working to keep them safe. Local governments need to lower any barriers that prevent people from going to shelters, he added.
These barriers could include shelter policies regarding whether partners and pets are allowed, how many bags and personal items individuals can bring, how long they have lived in the area, etc., said the Alliance’s senior California policy. Fellow Alex Vysotsky said.
“If people are choosing to drown because they are in the river bed or put them in[shelter]because they have more than one or two belongings, that is a problem,” Visotzky said.
And these community risks persist long after the storm. This is because many people cannot go to dry clothes or warm places for several days after bad weather, which can eventually lead to illness. Sacramento Area Coalition to End Homelessness.
‘One of the worst storms’ in the last decade
Meanwhile, evacuation orders for the coastal town of Montecito and areas near Santa Barbara County have been lifted, allowing residents to return to their homes, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown announced Tuesday afternoon.
Montecito, located between the Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean in Southern California’s Santa Barbara County, received an evacuation order Monday. Five years since the 2018 landslide Twenty-three people were killed as mud and rocks the size of houses smashed down hillsides, shattering more than 100 homes and rupturing a gas main, state officials said. office of emergency services.
Flooding has hit the county this week, with floods, landslides, road closures and multiple rescues, according to county officials.
The Santa Barbara County crew responded to more than 200 incident calls due to the heavy rain, Captain Scott Safechuck, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Incident Management Team, previously said.
About 10 to 15 homes were damaged as floods swept across the county on Monday, according to the Santa Barbara County Fires. sinkhole developed.
In Pasadena, a SaabPro cleaning and restoration vehicle hit a fallen tree on Tuesday, but was unmanned and no injuries were reported, city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said. Derderian said strong winds and overly saturated soil in the area likely knocked over the large trees.
“This is one of the worst storms we’ve seen in the last decade,” Derderian told CNN.
Servpro declined to comment on the incident, but assured CNN that its employees were unharmed.
Santa Cruz County on the northern central coast saw widespread damage Monday, according to Cal Fire images. Heavy rains hit the area, causing the San Lorenzo River to rise 14 feet in just over four hours Monday morning, putting the river in the stage of massive flooding.
Video showed fast-moving water from Santa Cruz knocking out a bridge and flooding a state park.
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CNN’s Rob Shackelford, Raja Razek, Dave Hennen, Camila Bernal, Cheri Mossburg, Stella Chan, Dave Alsup, Amanda Jackson, and Taylor Ward contributed to this report.
