At least 14 people have died in the winter storms that are battering the state of California on the US west coast.
The West Coast of the United States is in the grip of continuous winter storms. The coastal town of Montecito in Santa Barbara County, California is now in the eye of the storm. The city is expected to receive 20 centimeters of rain per day, and the authorities fear that it will cause floods and mudslides.
Several high class celebrities live in the city: Actors Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrowsinger Katy PerryTV presenters Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres and the Prince of England Harry. Montecito is located about a 90-minute drive northwest of Los Angeles.
News agencies have not been able to find out everyone’s current whereabouts, but Ellen Degeneres has published a video on social media in which she is standing in front of a stream next to her house. It is usually a quiet stream.
– It’s raining like never before here. This stream next to our house never, ever flows. Now the water has risen almost three meters, and it will rise more than half a meter, says DeGeneres.
Residents of Montecito have been ordered to leave their homes due to the risk of flooding and landslides. However, DeGeneres says that the authorities have told her to take shelter in her home, because it is located at a reasonable height.
Evacuation orders have been issued for a total of about 25,000 residents along the Santa Barbara coast. In addition, more than 40,000 people have been warned about possible evacuations.
Montecito is prone to landslides as it is located at the foot of a mountain range. Five years ago, 23 people died in a mudslide in the city. It was affected by wildfires that had left the treeless soil vulnerable to mudslides.
Montecito has been experiencing exceptional rainfall for a long time. According to the city’s rescue authorities, approximately 300–500 millimeters of water has rained there during the month, which exceeds the average annual rainfall.
200 kilometers north of Montecito, in Santa Cruz County south of San Francisco, 32,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. The entire San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento Valley and Monterey Bay are prepared for flooding.
California has experienced a series of six winter storms since Christmas. Governor of California Gavin Newsom and the President of the United States Joe Biden have declared a state of emergency in the state.
In the next two days, there will be heavy rain on the coast and almost two meters of snow in the mountain areas. In addition, the wind speed can reach 27 meters per second.
At least 14 people have died under fallen trees and floodwaters in the past ten days. A baby died on Boxing Day when a tree fell on his family’s caravan home, and a 5-year-old boy was washed away in floodwaters on his way to school yesterday, Monday.
According to experts, the increasing frequency and intensity of winter storms is a sign of climate change in California, which suffers from long periods of drought in the summer.
Sources: AFP, AP, Reuters