violent storm kills at least three in California

Downpours are falling in the south of the “Golden State”, where it has been raining continuously for more than 24 hours.

A state of emergency has been declared in eight of the state’s 58 counties. A violent storm caused dangerous flooding and biting winds in California on Monday, February 5, where at least three people were killed and nearly half a million homes were cut off from power. Downpours are falling in the south of the “Golden State”, where it has been raining continuously for more than 24 hours.

“This is a major storm, with dangerous consequences that can potentially put lives at risk,” warned California Governor Gavin Newsom. Like the rest of the region, the city of Los Angeles experiences flooding capable of cutting off certain roads or intersections, as well as dangerous landslides. This notably pushed authorities to issue evacuation orders for the Hollywood and Santa Monica hills, which overlook the metropolis.

In this wealthy area, mudslides literally buried cars and dragged a house off its foundations, according to images from local channel KTLA.

“Stay safe and stay off the roads”

For Los Angeles, “yesterday was the tenth wettest day since we started recording precipitation levels in 1877”emphasized Mayor Karen Bass during a press conference Monday. “Now more than ever, stay safe and stay off the roads. Only leave your home if absolutely necessary”she insisted.

The authorities are increasing messages of caution, because the rain is expected to continue until Tuesday, or even Wednesday. It falls on soils already saturated by a first storm last week, which increases the risk of flooding, because the earth no longer absorbs anything.

Scientists have been warning for years that global warming is disrupting the climate and increasing the frequency of extreme events, whether storms or heatwaves.