A new storm has hit California since Saturday morning amid expectations that it will cause “catastrophic flooding” after three weeks of unprecedented rainfall in the state, killing 19 people from the coast and making landfall during the day. and cause floods and landslides.
And meteorologists have warned that the Monterey Peninsula could be cut off by rising waters, and the entire city of Salinas, with a population of 160,000, could be flooded.
The meteorological agency warned that “all the lower parts of the Salinas Valley will witness catastrophic flooding” and warned that the water would inundate several roads.
Kelly O’Connell, a resident of the affected area, is concerned that the dam near her home has been damaged.
“If the dams break or if it rains, we’re only one field,” she told the San Francisco Chronicle as she protected her home with sandbags.
Evacuation orders have been issued for many endangered areas, while the Monterey Peninsula could be cut off from the world if the influx of water blocks roads.
And Monterey County officials warned earlier in the week that “Peninsular and Salinas residents should expect to be in self-isolation for two to three days.”
“The Monterey Peninsula could become an island” due to the flooding, local security spokeswoman Tina Nieto said, urging residents to prepare to avoid falling into the flood trap. “This is a slow event,” she said, and not all locations will be affected at the same time.
Local resident John Guru stocked up on provisions for four days in his house and two days in his car in case he got stuck on the road. “I don’t know how serious it can be,” he told the Monterey Herald.
California has been hit by a string of storms in recent weeks, with little lull in between. Consequently, the authorities barely gave enough time to repair the damage or restore the power supply.
But, according to meteorologists, the matter did not end there. The National Weather Service warned that “unstable weather currently in the west of the country … unfortunately will continue this weekend, with two more heavy rains expected.”
The mountains are seeing heavy snowfall, which is expected to reach over a meter over the Sierra Nevada weekend, making travel dangerous or impossible.
And at least 19 people have died since the beginning of these storms. Specifically, drivers were found in their cars caught in rainwater, with trees falling on people, a couple killed in a landslide, and bodies washed away in floods.
California is used to harsh weather and there are frequent storms in the winter. However, such a wave of floods and heavy rains is an out of the ordinary phenomenon.
Although it is difficult to establish a direct link between this series of storms and climate change, scientists regularly note that warming is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
However, according to experts, heavy rainfall over the past few weeks will not be enough to resolve the drought crisis that has hit the Western American state hard for two decades.