A child died during severe storms in California after being killed by a falling tree. The two-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in Sonoma County, west of the capital Sacramento, the Press Democrat newspaper reported Wednesday evening.
The most populous US state was hit by heavy rain and flooding over the weekend, and there were several deaths. Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Wednesday. This allows you to react more quickly to developments, he tweeted.
200,000 families without electricity
The United States Weather Service has warned of heavy rain between Sacramento in the north and the Santa Lucia Mountains in central California. Flash flooding is also possible because of already wet soils, he said, especially in areas previously affected by bushfires.
Evacuation orders were in effect in several cities, wrote the Los Angeles Times. According to the “PowerOutage” website, nearly 200,000 households were left without electricity Thursday night.
In Southern California, in the region around the coastal city of Santa Barbara, authorities have warned of flooding and avalanches of mud and boulders. Also affected was the small town of Montecito, where Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities live.
According to the meteorological service, the reason for the extreme weather is – as was the case on the New Year’s weekend – a so-called atmospheric flux, a narrow, humid weather band that can stretch over hundreds of kilometres. The Los Angeles Times said it was the third such weather event in two weeks. Earlier this year, at least two people died in severe storms in central California.
