California has been bearing the brunt of storms that are among the worst natural disasters the state has ever faced, the governor’s office said.
With a death toll standing at 19, widespread power outages, and entire communities covered either with water or mud, it’s hard to see how the state can pull out of this disaster when a $25 billion deficit is already looming for the next year.
“We’re not out of the woods — we expect these storms to continue at least through the middle of next week with a minimum of three more atmospheric rivers hitting our state,” Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said as he toured damage south of San Francisco. “California is soaked, and even an inch more of rain can bring catastrophic impacts like flooding and mudslides.”
More than 90% of the state has been placed under a flood watch, while 96,000 people were evacuated or given the warning to do so. This included Montecito on the central coast, where celebrities like Prince Harry, Oprah Winfrey, and Ellen DeGeneres live. Social media was filled with scenes of mudslides and raging water pouring past homes there.
The San Francisco area bore the brunt of the storm with the destruction of a pier in Santa Cruz and beachside streets that have been washed away with 35-foot waves. The storm battered the coastline all the way to Los Angeles, where communities like the wealthy enclave of Brentwood were submerged.
Major storm damage to the road into Matilija Canyon north of #Ojai. Residents are cut off and Ventura County Sheriff has evacuated more than 70 people via helicopter. You can see why. Multiple sections of road completely washed away and impassible. #kcalnews #CAwx @NWSLosAngeles pic.twitter.com/XPXLMnCuZY
— John Schreiber (@johnschreiber) January 16, 2023
A federal emergency declaration has been declared in 41 of the state’s 58 counties.
“These storms are among the most deadly natural disasters in the modern history of our state,” Nancy Ward, the emergency services director for Newsom’s office, said Friday.
Among the most heartbreaking incidents was the disappearance of 5-year-old Kyle Doan, who was swept away by floodwaters that overtook his family’s car in San Luis Obispo County.
Doan was ripped from his mother’s arms as she was being rescued, and he has yet to be found in miles of mud that now coat the area.
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“Days have now gone by, we still haven’t found him yet,” the boy’s father, Brian Doan, told the Guardian. “We went over there today about a mile downstream from where my wife was picked up and you can just see the aftermath [where] the water receded. There’s just so much debris that was wrapped around trees.”
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More than 60 roads and highways have been closed as state workers clean up trees, rocks, and mud that have made areas impassible.
