Biden declares disaster as new storms hit California
US President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in California, as the latest in a succession of storm systems blew into the state, bringing heavy flooding to already waterlogged regions and threatening snowfalls of up to two metres. The latest system was expected to bring "heavy lower-elevation rain, significant mountain snow, and strong winds", with "another surge of Pacific moisture" expected on Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. It predicted "disastrous flooding" across the lower Salinas River valley, a key agricultural region south of San Francisco Bay. Late on Saturday, Biden "declared that a major disaster exists in the state of California and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides," the White House said in a statement. The declaration makes federal funding available for relief to affected people, including temporary housing and repairs. At least 19 people are known to have died from storm-related causes in the last three weeks. Among them were drivers found in submerged cars, people struck by falling trees, and a husband and wife killed in a rockfall. Rising waters and unsuitable conditions resulted in a halt in the search for five-year-old Kyle Doan, who was swept away in floodwaters as his mother tried to pull him to safety from their car, the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's office said on Saturday. An AFP journalist saw the Salinas River overflowing its banks in many spots, at times covering farm fields for hundreds of yards, even as the rain continued under leaden skies. In Spreckels, a community a few hundred yards from the river, most residents had opted not to evacuate despite warnings from authorities. "It looks like we might have missed kind of the worst of it," said Robert Zagajeski, out walking his dog under a light rain. But Governor Gavin Newsom warned Californians that they were not in the clear yet: "We're not done," he said Saturday after visiting impacted residents. Urging them to remain vigilant, he said Californians should continue to exercise "common sense over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours". The storms of recent weeks were originally welcomed – coming after years of drought – but by now have brought "disastrous" flooding, officials have said.______________________________
Last updated: 2023-01-15 HKT 16:25 