Hurricane Hillary from Mexico brought heavy rains to California on Sunday, prompting a dangerous flood warning for the generally arid region of the American Southwest.
According to the report of the news agency ‘AFP’, an earthquake of magnitude 5.1 occurred earlier near the town of Ojai in Southern California, but there were no immediate reports of damage or loss of life.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said as of Sunday afternoon, Hillary was centered in California with sustained winds of 95 km/h and was moving at 37 km/h.
The NHC had warned of ‘potentially historic’ rains till Sunday night which could cause catastrophic floods in some parts of the state till early Monday.
A local TV channel, ABC, broadcast video of severe flooding in parts of Palm Springs, outside Los Angeles, and the National Park Service announced that Death Valley National Park was closed due to ‘dangerous flood conditions’. has been given.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned that ‘this weather pattern is unusual’.
Authorities ordered beaches closed while people rushed to stores to stock up on water and other essentials, with heavy flooding and even tornado warnings issued in some areas.
Hillary had previously reached a Category 4 storm but was downgraded to a hurricane as it moved toward the densely populated Mexican border city of Tijuana.
Despite the storm’s weakening, US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Danny Croswell urged people to take the risks seriously.
Speaking to CNN, he said that Hurricane Hillary is going to have a serious impact and threat to Southern California.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for much of the southern part of the state.
A statement from the governor’s office said authorities have set up five storm shelters and deployed more than 7,500 personnel, including several hundred National Guard troops as well as water rescue teams. Included.
In San Diego, people filled sandbags to prepare for possible flooding while lifeguards warned people to stay out of the ocean.
Very dangerous storm
Mexico’s civil protection agency said a man was killed when a vehicle swept into a raging river, warning of landslides and road closures in Baja California.
The Mexican military has opened 35 shelters sheltering 1,725 people affected by the storm.
Heavy rain and possible flooding are also expected in parts of Oregon and Idaho, and storms are possible in southeastern California, western Arizona, southern Nevada and southwestern Utah, the NHC said.
Nancy Ward, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, said Hillary could be one of the worst storms to hit the state in more than a decade.
“Make no mistake, this is a very, very dangerous and intense storm,” he said at a press conference.
The Mexican government has deployed about 19,000 troops to the states most affected by the storm, while the federal electric utility has sent 800 workers and hundreds of vehicles to deal with any outages.
Hurricanes hit the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Mexico every year, although hurricanes sometimes affect California, but they rarely affect the state with much severity.
Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world warms with climate change.
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2024-07-30 19:50:15
