Jan. 9 (UPI) — Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked President Joe Biden to declare a federal emergency to support California’s response to a series of storms that have hit the western state.
California has been reeling from a series of winter storms that have descended upon the state starting late last month, resulting in at least 12 people being killed in subsequent flooding.
The National Weather Service forecasts that the state is to again be lashed with high winds and several inches of rain and snow through late Sunday and into early Monday with more storms possible in the week to come.
Newsom, who declared a state emergency last week, told reporters during a press conference Sunday that Californians have already experienced so much but the worse is yet to come.
“We’re anticipating some very intense weather coming in” from Sunday night into Tuesday morning, he said, warning residents to be prepared and to follow government orders.
“Don’t test fate,” he said. “Just a foot of water and your car is floating. Half a foot of water, you’re off your feet. Half a foot of water, you’re losing control of your vehicle.”
The storms battering California since Dec. 27 are called atmospheric rivers, which the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration defines as a long, narrow region in the atmosphere that transports moisture from the tropics and can release large amounts of rain and snow on landfall.
Modeling from state climatologists predicts significant if not historic flooding to impact counties such as Merced, Monterey, Sacramento and Santa Clara, among others, and Newsom’s request for an emergency declaration to the Biden administration will if approved allow California access federal resources and personnel.
Ahead of the storm, officials in Sonoma County issued evacuation warnings to thousands of residents living near the Russian River floodway.
In Sacramento, residents are being warned by the NWS of winds of up to 65 mph that could down trees and cause widespread power outages.
As of Sunday night, more than 108,000 customers in the state were without, according to PowerOutage.us.
The California Department of Transportation is also warning residents to stay off the roads through to Monday.
“Travel is highly discouraged tonight through tomorrow!” it tweeted.
