17 Dead as California Storms Cause Extensive Damage and Evacuations Continue

Kim Ochoa leaves her Merced, Calif., home, which is surrounded by floodwaters, as storms continue to batter the state on Jan. 10, 2023. Noah Berger/AP Photo

Storms in California are causing widespread damage as rain continues to saturate many areas of the state without any major reprieve.

Rains were predicted to hit only Northern California on Jan. 11, giving the south a reprieve until more rainy weather arrived by the weekend. At least 17 people have died as a result of the storms that have ravaged the state and, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom, that figure is likely to rise. The official made his comments on Tuesday during a visit to Capitola, a picturesque area near the Santa Cruz coast that was heavily damaged by high waves and flooded by creek waters last week.

Authorities said a pickup truck driver and a biker were killed early Tuesday in the San Joaquin Valley when a tree struck by lightning collapsed on them, and the governor declared disaster zones in more than half of California’s 58 counties.

Crews worked to reopen major roadways that had been closed due to rockslides, flooding, or mudslides, while more than 10,000 evacuees from central coast beach towns were permitted to return home. Among them were residents who live in Montecito, a rich Santa Barbara County neighborhood that is home to Prince Harry and other celebrities, where a mudslide five years ago killed 23 people and destroyed more than 100 homes.

Continued Evacuation Orders

Thousands of people living near flooded creeks and rivers have remained under evacuation orders. Roaring waves from Bear Creek swamped parts of Merced and Planada, an agricultural village along a roadway leading to Yosemite National Park in the San Joaquin Valley.

Planada’s 4,000 residents were asked to evacuate early in the day on Jan. 10. Neighborhoods were inundated, with automobiles immersed up to their roofs. Residents who were asked to leave carried anything they could rescue on their backs as they walked away in the rain. Other evacuations have been requested due to levee breaches in Monterey County.

A rainstorm hits the Southland in Newport Beach, Calif., on Jan 5, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Extensive storm damage included washed-out highways and beachside businesses that were hit by the 20-foot surf that pummeled Santa Cruz County. Many locations experienced historic levels of rain, as well as hail, lightning and high gusts of wind that knocked down trees and destroyed power lines. According to poweroutage.us, more than 60,000 households and businesses in the state were without power as of midday on Jan. 11. Mudslides destroyed some properties in affluent Los Angeles hillside regions, while a sinkhole in the remote Santa Barbara County village of Orcutt damaged 15 residences.

On Tuesday in San Francisco, a tree fell on a commuter bus, with no injuries reported, while lightning struck the city’s landmark Transamerica Pyramid structure without inflicting damage. A large apartment building’s roof was also ripped off by high winds. Some residents were stranded in small towns that had been swamped with water and muck.

The storms being experienced by the state are part of a series of weather events that began last month.

Californians are attempting to recover from more than $1 billion in damage due to the storms, according to Adam Smith, a disaster expert with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Los Angeles Times reported.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, despite the rain, the majority of the state remained under extreme or severe drought. The storms may help in the short term, but they will not alleviate the long-term drought problems, according to Rick Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) has deployed water resources and firefighters to dozens of counties across the state in addition to prepositioning the resources of eight fire departments statewide in preparation for potential further flooding and debris flowing through the area. Cal OES has also announced that shelters are being set up across the state to support residents who have been evacuated.

Response From State and Federal Officials

In addition to California’s statewide emergency declaration, the Biden administration announced an Amendment to the Emergency Declaration, which authorizes FEMA to extend Direct Federal Assistance to a number of counties throughout the state.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a United Nations climate action event in New York on Sept. 21, 2022. Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Bloomberg Philanthropies

According to the Cal OES, the White House order offers assistance with emergency protective actions authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, such as saving lives, protecting property, preserving public health and safety, or lessening or averting the threat of a disaster as states and tribal countries face waves of adverse weather.

The amendment now allows federal assistance for the counties of Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Marin, Orange, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Solano, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo, and Yuba. This change is the result of continuous damage assessments undertaken at the state’s request, which are still ongoing in the majority of the state’s counties, with results reported to the governor.

The Emergency Declaration empowers FEMA to identify and task federal agencies with mobilizing federal equipment, materials, and resources requested by the state to carry out emergency protective measures in designated counties.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.